Spectrally programmable memristor-based optical computing
A memristor element is used to create a spectrally programmable optical computing device for use in, for example, a downhole environment. An electromagnetic field is applied across the memristor element in order to alter its spectral properties. In turn, the spectral properties of sample-interacted light optically interacting with the memristor element are also altered. This alteration in spectral properties allows the memristor to be “programmed” to achieve a variety of transmission/reflection/absorption functions.
1. A spectrally programmable optical computing device, comprising:
electromagnetic radiation that optically interacts with a sample to produce a sample-interacted light;
a memristor element comprising a spectrally alterable material, the memristor element being positioned to optically interact with the sample-interacted light to produce optically-interacted light which corresponds to a characteristic of the sample;
an electromagnetic field produced across the memristor element to alter the spectrally alterable material, thereby altering a spectral property of the electromagnetic radiation to produce the optically-interacted light; and
a detector positioned to measure the optically-interacted light and generate a signal,
wherein the signal is utilized to determine the characteristic of the sample.
2. An optical computing device as defined in claim 1 , further comprising an electromagnetic field producing element communicably coupled to the memristor element to produce the electromagnetic field across the memristor element.
3. An optical computing device as defined in claim 2 , further comprising a power management module communicably coupled to the electromagnetic field producing element to thereby produce different power levels.
4. An optical computing device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the memristor element is a memristor element array comprising a plurality of memristor elements.
5. An optical computing device as defined in claim 4 , wherein each memristor element is communicably coupled to an electromagnetic field producing element to thereby produce the electromagnetic field across each memristor element.
6. An optical computing device as defined in claim 5 , whereby each memristor element comprises a different spectral property produced by the electromagnetic field applied there across.
7. An optical computing device as defined in claim 4 , further comprising:
an electromagnetic radiation source to generate the electromagnetic radiation; and
an optical separation element positioned to separate the electromagnetic radiation into component wavelengths and to direct the component wavelengths to a corresponding memristor element.
8. An optical computing device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the memristor element is a memristor element array comprising a plurality of memristor elements positioned to optically interact with the electromagnetic radiation in a sequential fashion.
9. An optical computing device as defined in claim 8 , wherein each memristor element is communicably coupled to an electromagnetic field producing element to thereby produce the electromagnetic field across each memristor element of the memristor element array.
10. An optical computing device as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a signal processor communicably coupled to the detector to computationally determine the characteristic of the sample.
11. An optical computing device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the optical device comprises part of a reservoir interrogation device.
12. An optical computing method, comprising:
optically interacting electromagnetic radiation with a sample to produce a sample-interacted light;
applying an electromagnetic field across a memristor element having a spectrally alterable material, thereby altering the spectrally alterable material;
optically interacting the sample-interacted light with the memristor element to produce optically-interacted light which corresponds to a characteristic of the sample;
detecting the optically-interacted light and thereby generating a signal which corresponds to the optically-interacted light; and
determining the characteristic of the sample using the signal.
13. An optical computing method as defined in claim 12 , wherein an electromagnetic field producing element is utilized to generate the electromagnetic field applied across the memristor element.
14. An optical computing method as defined in claim 13 , further comprising utilizing a power management module to produce differing power levels of electromagnetic fields.
15. An optical computing method as defined in claim 12 , wherein:
the memristor element is a memristor element array comprising a plurality of memristor elements, each memristor element being communicably coupled to an electromagnetic field producing element; and
the method further comprises using the electromagnetic field producing elements to produce an electromagnetic field across each memristor element.
16. An optical computing method as defined in claim 15 , further comprising altering a spectral property of each memristor element such that each spectral property is different.
17. An optical computing method as defined in claim 15 , further comprising:
separating the electromagnetic radiation into component wavelengths; and
directing the component wavelengths to a corresponding memristor element.
18. An optical computing method as defined in claim 12 , wherein:
the memristor element is a memristor element array comprising a plurality of memristor elements; and
the method further comprises optically interacting the electromagnetic radiation with the memristor elements in sequential fashion.
19. An optical computing method as defined in claim 18 , wherein:
each memristor element is communicably coupled to an electromagnetic field producing element; and
the method further comprises using the electromagnetic field producing elements to produce electromagnetic fields across each memristor element to thereby produce a different spectral property in each memristor element.
20. An optical computing method as defined in claim 12 , further comprising utilizing the optical computing method to interrogate a downhole reservoir.
21. An optical computing method, comprising:
optically interacting electromagnetic radiation with a sample to produce a sample-interacted light;
optically interacting the sample-interacted light with a memristor element to produce optically-interacted light which corresponds to a characteristic of the sample; and
determining the characteristic of the sample using the optically-interacted light.
22. An optical computing method as defined in claim 21 , wherein:
the memristor element comprises a spectrally alterable material; and
the method further comprises altering the spectrally alterable material, thereby altering a spectral property of the optically-interacted light.
23. An optical computing method as defined in claim 22 , wherein an electromagnetic field is produced across the memristor element in order to alter the spectrally alterable material.
24. An optical computing method as defined in claim 23 , wherein differing power levels of the electromagnetic field are produced across the memristor element.
25. An optical computing method as defined in claim 21 , further comprising using the optical computing method to interrogate a downhole reservoir.