Abstract: A synthetic neuronal structure makes use of a semiconductor-metal phase transition material having material regions separated by discontinuities. The discontinuities represent interfaces such that different phases in two adjacent regions result in a metal-semiconductor interface. The interface supports a charge accumulation and a discharge of accumulated charge when an activation energy provided, for example, by electrical current, localized heating or optical energy, reaches a threshold necessary for breakdown of a potential barrier presented by the interface, and thus mimics a leaky integrate-and-fire neuron. With many such interfaces distributed through the structure, the local inputs to a neuron become a weighted sum of energy from neighboring neurons. Thus, different combinations of signals at one or more inputs connected to the structure will favor different neural pathways through the structure, thereby resulting in a neural network.

Abstract: A synthetic neuronal structure makes use of a semiconductor-metal phase transition material having material regions separated by discontinuities. The discontinuities represent interfaces such that different phases in two adjacent regions result in a metal-semiconductor interface. The interface supports a charge accumulation and a discharge of accumulated charge when an activation energy provided, for example, by electrical current, localized heating or optical energy, reaches a threshold necessary for breakdown of a potential barrier presented by the interface, and thus mimics a leaky integrate-and-fire neuron. With many such interfaces distributed through the structure, the local inputs to a neuron become a weighted sum of energy from neighboring neurons. Thus, different combinations of signals at one or more inputs connected to the structure will favor different neural pathways through the structure, thereby resulting in a neural network.

Abstract: An apparatus for characterizing energy and direction dependence of intensity for an electromagnetic signal uses spectral analysis and has particular application in the field of surface plasmon resonance. An energy dependent filter is located in an imaging space of the signal and separates the signal in an energy dependent manner. A first portion of the signal output from the filter is limited to a predetermined range of narrow energy bands and is directed to a photodetector. The photodetector receives the first signal portion and detects signal intensities across the photodetector surface, each of the signal intensities corresponding to a specific wavevector direction and energy band within the predetermined range. The filter provides said energy dependent selection for each of a plurality of different ranges of energy bands so as to create a three-dimensional dataset indicative of the energy and direction dependence of the signal intensity.

Abstract: A sensing device for characterizing a substance by modifying modes of resonance of surface plasmons is described. The sensing device comprises: a photo-emitting substrate layer for generating a luminescence signal; a dielectric adaptive layer applied onto the photo-emitting substrate layer; and a sensing layer applied onto the dielectric adaptive layer, the sensing layer having a sensing surface for coupling with the substance to be characterized. The luminescence signal generates surface plasmons having modes of resonance at the interface of the sensing layer and the substance to be characterized. The substance to be characterized, when coupled to the sensing layer, characteristically modifies the modes of resonance of the surface plasmons.