Noise-controlled signal transmission in a multithread semiconductor neuron.
We report on stochastic effects in a new class of semiconductor structures that accurately imitate the electrical activity of biological neurons. In these devices, electrons and holes play the role of K+ and Na+ ions that give the action potentials in real neurons. The structure propagates and delays electrical pulses via a web of spatially distributed transmission lines. We study the transmission of a periodic signal through a noisy semiconductor neuron. Using experimental data and a theoretical model we demonstrate that depending on the noise level and the amplitude of the useful signal, transmission is enhanced by a variety of nonlinear phenomena, such as stochastic resonance, coherence resonance, and stochastic synchronization.
Samardak
A
A
Department of Physics, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, United Kingdom.
Nogaret
A
A
Janson
N B
NB
Balanov
A G
AG
Farrer
I
I
Ritchie
D A
DA
D040761:Biomimetic Materials; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D009474:Neurons; D012666:Semiconductors; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013269:Stochastic Processes