Abstract
Disorder is a pervasive characteristic of natural systems, offering a wealth of non-repeating patterns. In this study, we present a novel storage method that harnesses naturally-occurring random structures to store an arbitrary pattern in a memory device. This method, the Stochastic Emergent Storage (SES), builds upon the concept of emergent archetypes, where a training set of imperfect examples (prototypes) is employed to instantiate an archetype in a Hopfield-like network through emergent processes. We demonstrate this non-Hebbian paradigm in the photonic domain by utilizing random transmission matrices, which govern light scattering in a white-paint turbid medium, as prototypes. Through the implementation of programmable hardware, we successfully realize and experimentally validate the capability to store an arbitrary archetype and perform classification at the speed of light. Leveraging the vast number of modes excited by mesoscopic diffusion, our approach enables the simultaneous storage of thousands of memories without requiring any additional fabrication efforts. Similar to a content addressable memory, all stored memories can be collectively assessed against a given pattern to identify the matching element. Furthermore, by organizing memories spatially into distinct classes, they become features within a higher-level categorical (deeper) optical classification layer.