Temperature stabilization with Hebbian learning using an autonomous optoelectronic dendritic unit

Abstract

[eng] The integration of machine learning with photonic and optoelectronic components is progressing rapidly, offering the potential for high-speed bio-inspired computing platforms. In this work, we employ an experimental fiber-based dendritic structure with adaptive plasticity for a learning-and-control virtual task. Specifically, we develop a closed-loop controller embedded in a single-mode fiber optical dendritic unit (ODU) that incorporates Hebbian learning principles, and we test it in a hypothetical temperature stabilization task. Our optoelectronic system operates at 1 GHz signaling and sampling rates and applies plasticity rules through the direct modulation of semiconductor optical amplifiers. Although the input correlation (ICO) learning rule we consider here is computed digitally from the experimental output of the optoelectronic system, this output is fed back into the plastic properties of the ODU physical substrate, enabling autonomous learning. In this specific configuration, we utilize only three plastic dendritic optical branches with exclusively positive weighting. We demonstrate that, despite variations in the physical system’s parameters, the application of the ICO learning rule effectively mitigates temperature disturbances, ensuring robust performance. These results encourage an all-hardware solution, where optimizing feedback loop speed and embedding the ICO rule will enable continuous stabilization, finalizing a real-time platform operating at up to 1 GHz.