Posted on 05/11/2022 6:55:30 AM PDT by BenLurkin
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.
Yimei Zhu, a physicist at the U.S. 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.
For their experiments, the scientists triggered the transition with extremely short pulses of photons—particles of light. Then they captured the material's atomic-scale response using a mega-electron-volt ultrafast electron diffraction (MeV-UED) instrument...
The paper describes how the combination of theory and experimental studies provided detailed information, including how vanadium "dimers" (bound pairs of vanadium atoms) stretch and rotate over time during the transition. The research also successfully addressed some long-standing scientific questions about vanadium dioxide, including the existence of an intermediate phase during the insulator-to-metal transition, the role of photoexcitation-induced thermal heating, and the origin of incomplete transitions under photoexcitation.
This study sheds new light on scientists' understanding of how photoinduced electronic and lattice dynamics affect this particular phase transition—and should also help continue to push the evolution of computing technology.
When it comes to making a computer that mimics the human brain, Zhu said, "we still have a long way to go, but I think we are on the right track."
(Excerpt) Read more at phys.org ...
I’d like one of those on my desk. It’s cooler than those steel balls that clang back and forth!
I knew a girl who neuromorphed into someone I didn`t know once a month.
It's not that complicated, really.
I'd toss it in the garbage and get a newer model.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.