Hi all,
Tomorrow our visitor Patryk Lipka-Bartosik will tell us about "Thermal neuron: How to perform computation via heat flows?". See below for the abstract. The talk will take place at 12:30 in HIT E41.1, feel free to bring your lunch.
Best,
Ladina
Title:
Thermal neuron: How to perform computation via heat flows?
Abstract:
Computers need energy to function, and as a result, they are subject to the laws of thermodynamics. A thorough understanding of these limitations is essential for developing more efficient computing devices. In this talk, I will discuss a physical model of computation based on quantum thermal machines (thermal neuron). It departs from conventional models by exploiting heat (rather than electronic) currents to perform computation. The thermal neuronexplicitly accounts for all the resources necessary for computation, while remaining simple enough to illustrate the influence of thermodynamic laws on the computing process. The model can execute any binary function, showcasing its versatility. Moreover, to demonstrate its universality, I will discuss several examples of the thermal neuron simulating various logic functions. Additionally, I will examine the performance of the thermal neuron as a logical device, delving into the relationship between heat dissipated during its operation and its accuracy as a computing device. Finally, I will argue that the model can be seen as a physical model of an artificial neuron (perceptron), enabling us to model neural networks as autonomous thermodynamic machines.