FACTORIZATION OF INTEGERS WITH MULTI-PATH OPTICAL INTERFERENCE

We introduce a new factorization algorithm based on the optical computation by multi-path interference of the periodicity of a "factoring" function given by exponential sums at continuous arguments. We demonstrate that this algorithm allows, in principle, the prime number decomposition of several large numbers by exploiting a remarking rescaling property of this periodic function. Such a function is recorded by measuring optical interferograms with a multi-path Michelson interferometer, a polychromatic light source and a spectrometer. The information about factors is encoded in the location of the inteferogram maxima.