Abstract:We establish that the two-dimensional ray tracing problem with thin lenses and plane mirrors is Turing-complete, thereby resolving an open question posed by Reif et al. in 1994 as to whether three-dimensional space is necessary for computational universality in optical systems. To this end, we consider the standard approximation of reflection and refraction, namely the ABCD model for paraxial optics, which describes ray propagation through lenses (refraction) via a 2 x 2 matrix, combined with the geometric reflection model for plane mirrors.
In the absence of mirrors, two-dimensional ray tracing using any combination of lenses in this ABCD matrix model can be described by a single 2 x 2 matrix-vector product, where the matrix has real entries and determinant 1. Conversely, we show that any such matrix with determinant 1 can be represented as a composition of exactly three appropriately spaced thin lenses. When mirrors are combined with lenses, the ray tracing problem can be described by a flowchart using only two variables, which establishes Turing computability for rational-valued inputs, spaces and matrix entries. Building on this observation, we present a construction of ray tracing that simulates a reversible Turing machine.
We begin with a restricted version of the reversible flowchart problem, in which only two variables and certain linear functions are permitted. We prove that this restricted variant is Turing-complete. We then show that such a flowchart admits a geometric realization using lenses and mirrors in our model, thereby establishing the main result: Turing-completeness of the two-dimensional ray tracing problem with ABCD-model lenses and mirrors.
From: Sneha Mohanty [view email]
[v1]
Tue, 23 Jun 2026 07:06:02 UTC (15,639 KB)
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