Asynchronous Ballistic Reversible Fluxon Logic

• Published in: IEEE transactions on applied superconductivity 2019-08, Vol.29 (5), p.1-7
• Main Authors: Frank, Michael P., Lewis, Rupert M., Missert, Nancy A., Wolak, Matthaus A., Henry, Michael D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ballistic signaling; Binary data; Circuits; Computation; Computational modeling; Energy conservation; Energy efficiency; Integrated circuit interconnections; Integrated circuit modeling; Josephson junctions; MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING; Polarity; Pulse propagation; reversible computing; Signal paths; single flux quanta; Solitary waves; Solitons; State variable; Superconducting logic circuits; Superconductivity; Transmission lines
• ISSN: 1051-8223; 1558-2515
• DOI: 10.1109/TASC.2019.2904962

In a previous paper, we described a new abstract circuit model for reversible computation called asynchronous ballistic reversible computing (ABRC), in which localized information-bearing pulses propagate ballistically along signal paths between stateful abstract devices and elastically scatter off those devices serially, while updating the device state in a logically-reversible and deterministic fashion. The ABRC model has been shown to be capable of universal computation. In the research reported here, we begin exploring how the ABRC model might be realized in practice using single flux quantum solitons (fluxons) in superconducting Josephson junction (JJ) circuits. One natural family of realizations could utilize fluxon polarity to represent binary data in individual pulses propagating near-ballistically, along discrete or continuous long Josephson junctions or microstrip passive transmission lines, and utilize the flux charge (-1, 0, +1) of a JJ-containing superconducting loop with Φ 0