Biological neuronal networks are the computing engines of the mammalian brain. These networks exhibit structural characteristics such as hierarchical architectures, small-world attributes, and scale-free topologies, providing the basis for the emergence of rich temporal characteristics such as scale-free dynamics and long-range temporal correlations. Devices that have both the topological and the temporal features of a neuronal network would be a significant step toward constructing a neuromorphic system that can emulate the computational ability and energy efficiency of the human brain. Here we use numerical simulations to show that percolating networks of nanoparticles exhibit structural properties that are reminiscent of biological neuronal networks, and then show experimentally that stimulation of percolating networks by an external voltage stimulus produces temporal dynamics that are self-similar, follow power-law scaling, and exhibit long-range temporal correlations. These results are expected to have important implications for the development of neuromorphic devices, especially for those based on the concept of reservoir computing.
Keywords: Complex network; Long-range temporal correlations; Nanoparticle network; Neuromorphic computing; Scale-free dynamics; Scale-free topology.
© 2020 Massachusetts Institute of Technology.