Biphasic action potential and chaos in a symmetrical Chua Corsage Memristor-based circuit.

Abstract

Neuromorphic computing provides unique computing and memory capabilities that could break the limitation of conventional von Neumann computing. Toward realizing neuromorphic computing, fabrication and synthetization of hardware elements and circuits to emulate biological neurons are crucial. Despite the striking progress in exploring neuron circuits, the existing circuits can only reproduce monophasic action potentials, and no studies report on circuits that could emulate biphasic action potentials, limiting the development of neuromorphic devices. Here, we present a simple third-order memristive circuit built with a classical symmetrical Chua Corsage Memristor (SCCM) to accurately emulate biological neurons and show that the circuit can reproduce monophasic action potentials, biphasic action potentials, and chaos. Applying the edge of chaos criterion, we calculate that the SCCM and the proposed circuit have the symmetrical edge of chaos domains with respect to the origin, which plays an important role in generating biphasic action potentials. Also, we draw a parameter classification map of the proposed circuit, showing the edge of chaos domain (EOCD), the locally active domain, and the locally passive domain. Near the calculated EOCD, the third-order circuit generates monophasic action potentials, biphasic action potentials, chaos, and ten types of symmetrical bi-directional neuromorphic phenomena by only tuning the input voltage, showing a resemblance to biological neurons. Finally, a physical SCCM circuit and some experimentally measured neuromorphic waveforms are exhibited. The experimental results agree with the numerical simulations, verifying that the proposed circuit is suitable as artificial neurons.