Ultrafast 'camera' captures hidden behavior of potential 'neuromorphic' material
Posted: Tue May 10, 2022 2:17 am
https://phys.org/news/2022-05-ultrafast ... avior.html
Imagine a computer that can think as fast as the human brain while using very little energy. That's the goal of scientists seeking to discover or develop materials that can send and process signals as easily as the brain's neurons and synapses. Identifying quantum materials with an intrinsic ability to switch between two distinct forms (or more) may hold the key to these futuristic sounding "neuromorphic" computing technologies.
In a paper just published in the journal Physical Review X, Yimei Zhu, a physicist at the USA Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, and his collaborators describe surprising new details about vanadium dioxide, one of the most promising neuromorphic materials. Using data collected by a unique "stroboscopic camera," the team captured the hidden trajectory of atomic motion as this material transitions from an insulator to a metal in response to a pulse of light. Their findings could help guide the rational design of high-speed and energy-efficient neuromorphic devices.
Imagine a computer that can think as fast as the human brain while using very little energy. That's the goal of scientists seeking to discover or develop materials that can send and process signals as easily as the brain's neurons and synapses. Identifying quantum materials with an intrinsic ability to switch between two distinct forms (or more) may hold the key to these futuristic sounding "neuromorphic" computing technologies.
In a paper just published in the journal Physical Review X, Yimei Zhu, a physicist at the USA Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, and his collaborators describe surprising new details about vanadium dioxide, one of the most promising neuromorphic materials. Using data collected by a unique "stroboscopic camera," the team captured the hidden trajectory of atomic motion as this material transitions from an insulator to a metal in response to a pulse of light. Their findings could help guide the rational design of high-speed and energy-efficient neuromorphic devices.