Studying physics can be very useful—even when it comes to machine learning. A digital “super-brain” with built-in knowledge of the fundamental laws of nature can speed up the development of optical components for everything from quantum computers to eyeglasses or camera lenses, according to a new study from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.

“When we fed the super-brain information about the laws of physics, it immediately got much smarter. Our calculations now take one tenth of the time previously required,” says Philippe Tassin, professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Chalmers University of Technology.

The research team led by Tassin designs optical components in a field called nanophotonics. On a small scale—less than one wavelength—light can be controlled and manipulated in a completely different way than on larger scales. But there are also limitations on how light can be controlled in advanced ways in natural optical materials.