I'm just wrapping up a double masters in neuroscience and machine learning, and I was wondering if it was possibly to basically do the equivalent work of a phd, publish 5-6 papers on your own?

The topic I'm really getting interested in is at the intersection of Wetware Computing (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wetware_computer), Neuromorphic Computing, and Deep Learning. I've found some programs like the iPhd at University of Washington, but I can't find too many professors who would be willing to allow me to work on these topics on my own.

Would it be feasible to work on my own for a few years, assuming finances weren't an issue, and publish a few noteworthy papers and open source work? Would that basically be the equivalent of what a PhD is supposed to signal?