Samara National Research University

Analog optical computing has reemerged as a promising computational paradigm, offering significant advantages in speed, parallelism, and energy efficiency. Unlike digital systems that rely on discrete logic states and serial processing, analog optical computing operates on continuous variables of light, such as amplitude and phase, allowing for the real-time execution of mathematical operations. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the principles, architectures, and emerging technologies driving the development of analog optical computing. Key platforms, including free-space optics, integrated photonic circuits, metasurfaces, and nonlinear optical systems, are discussed in terms of their computational capabilities and application potential. Special attention is given to recent advances in photonic neural networks, reservoir computing, and reconfigurable optical devices that enable task-specific processing with minimal power consumption. Applications across artificial intelligence, signal processing, imaging, and secure communication are evaluated to highlight the practical relevance of this technology. Despite notable challenges related to precision, scalability, and integration with digital systems, ongoing progress in materials science and nanophotonic design is rapidly advancing the field. This review concludes by outlining future research directions and the broader implications of analog optical computing in shaping the next generation of high-performance, low-latency computing systems.

The article presents the results of a comprehensive experimental study of the influence of a weak low-frequency pulsed magnetic field on the aging process of aluminum alloy V95pch. It has been established that a pulsed magnetic field significantly affects the strength properties, microstructure, and phase formation process in this alloy aged for 4 h in a pulsed magnetic field with a strength of 557 kA/m and a frequency from 1 to 7 Hz at a temperature of 140°C. A positive magnetoplastic effect with magnitude of up to 37

High-temperature decomposition of pyridine, C5H5N, occurs during waste incineration, pyrolysis of biomass and coal. In the present work, the rate constants of H atom abstraction from C5H5N by H, CH3, CN, C2H3, CHCHCN and nC4H3 radicals have been calculated at the DLPNO-CCSD(T)-F12/cc-pVDZ-F12//M06-2X/def2-TZVP level of theory from 300 to 2000 K. The new rate constants obtained in the present work, in most cases are notably different from the expressions suggested in the earlier studies on pyridine pyrolysis or derived in theoretical calculations. Only for reactions of H atom abstraction by H, a reasonable agreement was found. It was revealed that the formation of ortho-, meta-, and para-pyridyls could be of equal importance and, therefore, all pyridyl isomers should be considered in detailed kinetic mechanisms for pyridine.

In this work, we are the first, to our knowledge, to demonstrate both analytically and numerically that in the cross-section of a 2D paraxial accelerating Airy beam propagating on a parabolic trajectory, there are areas where a canonical energy backflow occurs. These areas arise in the far sidelobes of the Airy beam characterized by a subwavelength local period (superoscillation areas). At an arbitrary propagation distance from the initial plane, there is a threshold transverse coordinate, such that at all smaller negative values of the transverse coordinate, the longitudinal component of the canonical energy flow is negative. For a nonparaxial Airy beam, we derive an explicit analytical expression for the canonical energy flow near the initial plane. The energy backflow is revealed to occur near the intensity null, where a phase jump of π takes place. Near the intensity null, the phase derivative with respect to the longitudinal coordinate takes large negative values, leading to the longitudinal wavevector projection becoming larger than the wavenumber of light and directed oppositely. The maximum energy backflow is found to be about one-fifth of the direct maximum energy flow. Results of the numerical simulation for the paraxial and non-paraxial Airy beams are shown to agree with the theoretical prediction.

Reactions of the primary pyridine radicals, ortho-, meta-, and para-pyridyls with oxygen control the overall rate of pyridine oxidation. In the present work, the potential energy surfaces of o-, m-, and p-pyridyls + O2 previously developed by the authors have been employed for a systematic theoretical kinetic study of the rate constants of these reactions. The geometries of reactants, products, intermediates, and transition states of the reactions of pyridyl radicals with O2 were optimized at the level of density functional theory using the omega B97XD functional with the 6-311G** basis set. The temperature-and pressure-dependent rate constants of 31 reactions were evaluated within the framework of the Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus (RRKM) theory combined with the Master Equation approach (RRKM-ME) in the temperature range from 300 to 3000 K, covering pressures from 0.01 to 100 atm. For several reactions previously investigated in the literature, good agreement was demonstrated, indicating consistency and correctness of the present theoretical calculations. Moreover, thermodynamic data for all important reactants, products, and intermediates have been revisited and calculated at the G4 theoretical level. The calculated rate constants and thermodynamic data provide a backbone for the development of detailed kinetic models for pyridine combustion.