Method and apparatus for cross correlation

A system for cross correlation, comprising:

• a first subsystem that receives, at least in part with a configuration of electronic hardware, a first spike stream containing significant stochastic content, and a first event;
• a second subsystem that receives, at least in part with a configuration of electronic hardware, a second spike stream containing significant stochastic content, and a second event, wherein the first and second events have a fixed temporal relationship;
• a first delay unit that receives, at least in part with a configuration of electronic hardware, the first spike stream, and outputs a first delayed spike stream, wherein a first delay, produced by the first delay unit, has a lower bound of zero seconds;
• a third subsystem that compares, at least in part with a configuration of electronic hardware, upon receipt of a first delayed spike from the first delayed spike stream, a first accumulated value with a second accumulated value to produce a first comparison result;
• a fourth subsystem that increases the first delay, at least in part with a configuration of electronic hardware, if the first comparison result indicates the first accumulated value is greater than the second accumulated value;
• a fifth subsystem that decreases the first delay, at least in part with a configuration of electronic hardware, if the first comparison result indicates the first accumulated value is less than the second accumulated value;
• a sixth subsystem that resets, at least in part with a configuration of electronic hardware, after the first comparison result is produced, the first accumulated value and the second accumulated value;
• a seventh subsystem that restarts, at least in part with a configuration of electronic hardware, after the first comparison result is produced, a first process for producing a first weighting function, and a second weighting function, wherein the first weighting function is monotonically decreasing and the second weighting function is both monotonically increasing and symmetrically opposite to the first weighting function;
• an eighth subsystem that accumulates, at least in part with a configuration of electronic hardware, upon receipt of a second spike from the second spike stream and in accordance with the first weighting function, a first weighting value into a first accumulator;
• and
• a ninth subsystem that accumulates, at least in part with a configuration of electronic hardware, upon receipt of the same second spike from the second spike stream and in accordance with the second weighting function, a second weighting value into a second accumulator.