https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202328706032
Large period spiking andburstingin anexcitable system with memory
1 Micro- and Nanophotonic Materials Group, 20 Place du Parc, Mons B-7000, Belgium
2 Center for Nanophotonics, AMOLF, Science Park 104, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands
* e-mail: Bertrand.Braeckeveldt@umons.ac.be
Published online: 18 October 2023
Excitability in dynamical systems refers to the ability to transition from a resting stationary state to a spiking state when a parameter is varied. It is the mechanism behind spike generation in neurons. Optical non-linear resonators can be excitable systems, but they usually present a fast response compared to neuronal systems, and they prove difficult to observe experimentally. We propose investigating optical resonators with delayed Kerr effects, specifically in two different geometries: an oil-filled single-mode cavity with thermo-optical nonlinearity, and two coupled, symmetrically driven cavities. When the Kerr effect is delayed, even a single cavity exhibits excitability. However, we show that it suffers from limitations on the thermo-optical relaxation time in order to be realized experimentally. We overcome these limitations using the geometry with coupled cavities, where the thermo-optical relaxation time acts as a memory. This slow variable enables to tailor the spiking frequency and it mimics neuronal behaviours by enabling large-period spiking.
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2023
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
