Optical information processing based on an associative-memory model of neural nets with thresholding and feedback.

The remarkable collective computational properties of the Hopfield model for neural networks [Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 79, 2554 (1982)] are reviewed. These include recognition from partial input, robustness, and error-correction capability. Features of the model that make its optical implementation attractive are discussed, and specific optical implementation schemes are given.