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Optical fiber that works like the human nervous system

20.04.2022

Scientists from Singapore's Center for Disruptive Photonic Technology and the UK's Optoelectronics Research Center have created a working optical model of a neuron. To do this, they took advantage of the special properties of an amorphous alloy based on chalcogenides.

In fact, a new type of optical fiber was synthesized, capable of changing transparency. This makes it possible to provide conditions for the propagation of optical signals similar to those that exist in the human brain.

Using this property, the researchers achieved functionality that mimics the mechanism of signal propagation in axons and synapses, thereby proving that optical analogs of neurons can demonstrate functionality similar to the human brain.

The optical fiber for the experiment was made of amorphous glass, which is an alloy of gallium sulfide and lanthanum oxide. To emulate the functions of a chemical synapse, the fiber is alternately irradiated from the side with light of different wavelengths, causing a so-called photon synapse. As a result, scientists were able to reproduce the mechanism of chemical signal propagation in neurons.

In their work, researchers from Singapore have demonstrated a number of optical analogs of brain functions. Among them are the retention of the state of rest and the modeling of changes in the electrical activity in the nerve cell during its stimulation.

This study may contribute to increasing the speed and efficiency of traditional computer systems. With the advent of adaptation and learning mechanisms in new versions of computers, they will be able to process huge amounts of data with much less energy.

Modern computers simulating the work of nerve cells are 6-9 orders of magnitude less efficient than biological systems. For example, simulating a five-second brain activity takes 500 seconds of computer time and requires 1,4 megawatts of energy.

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