Discrete Fourier transform in nanostructures using scattering

In this article, we show that the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) can be performed by scattering a coherent particle or laser beam off an electrically controllable two-dimensional (2D) potential that has the shape of rings or peaks. After encoding the initial vector into the two-dimensional potential by means of electric gates, the Fourier-transformed vector can be read out by detectors surrounding the potential. The wavelength of the laser beam determines the necessary accuracy of the 2D potential, which makes our method very fault-tolerant. Since the time to perform the DFT is much smaller than the clock cycle of today`s computers, our proposed device performs DFTs at the frequency of the computer clock speed.