Spatial coherence of a periodic medium as a means for testing randomness

Abstract

It is shown that the physical properties of a periodic medium are sensitive not only to disorder but also to whether disorder is random or not. Based on this property, the authors propose and demonstrate a method to analyze the randomness of data, to detect information content, and to recognize patterns. When data are encoded by means of defects on a periodic lattice, the transmission at a single frequency reveals possible deviations from true randomness, allowing for information content to be measured. This nonlogical (noncomputational) method for data analysis shows potential for signal analysis, pattern recognition, and cryptography.