All-to-All Connected Oscillator Networks for Solving Combinatorial Optimization Problems

A method for solving a combinatorial optimization problem, the method comprising:

• at each nonlinear electronic oscillator in a network of nonlinear electronic oscillators:
• emitting an oscillating signal;
• receiving a coherent sum of the oscillating signals from all of the other nonlinear electronic oscillators in the network of nonlinear electronic oscillators;
• and
• injecting an injection-locking signal into each nonlinear electronic oscillator in the network of nonlinear electronic oscillators, the injection-locking signal causing the oscillating signal emitted by each nonlinear electronic oscillator to settle to a corresponding phase.

A method comprising:

• illuminating a diffuse reflector with a first multiplexed optical signal from a first nonlinear oscillator in a plurality of nonlinear oscillators, the diffuse reflector scattering respective portions of the first multiplexed optical signal to the other nonlinear oscillators in the plurality of nonlinear oscillators;
• and
• at each of the other nonlinear oscillators,
• de-multiplexing the portion of the first multiplexed optical signal to form a first oscillator signal,
• weighting the first oscillator signal with a corresponding first weight to form a corresponding first weighted signal, and
• injecting the corresponding first weighted signal into the other nonlinear oscillator.

An apparatus comprising:

• a first nonlinear oscillator in a plurality of nonlinear oscillators, the first nonlinear oscillator comprising:
• a resonant circuit;
• a first transistor, in series with the resonant circuit, having a first gate to receive a first input from a second nonlinear oscillator in the plurality of nonlinear oscillators, the first input driving the resonant circuit;
• a second transistor, in series with the resonant circuit, having a second gate to receive a second input from the second nonlinear oscillator, the second input driving the resonant circuit;
• a third transistor, in series with the resonant circuit, having a third gate to receive at least one of a direct current (DC) bias signal or an injection-locking signal;
• and
• a fourth transistor and a fifth transistor, in series with the first transistor and the second transistor, to receive a bias signal from a voltage source.