The generation of diverse traveling pulses and its solution scheme in an excitable slow-fast dynamics

TL;DR

This paper analytically and numerically investigates the generation, propagation, and variety of traveling pulses in a homogeneous network of excitable slow-fast neurons, revealing how system parameters influence pulse shapes and velocities.

Contribution

It provides new analytical conditions for traveling wave profiles and explores diverse pulse types in a biophysical model with diffusive coupling.

Findings

Derived conditions for traveling wave profiles.

Identified various pulse types including envelope solitons.

Analyzed stability of plane waves.

Abstract

In this paper, we report on the generation and propagation of traveling pulses in a homogeneous network of diffusively coupled, excitable, slow-fast dynamical neurons. The spatially extended system is modelled using the nearest neighbor coupling theory, in which the diffusion part measures the spatial distribution of the coupling topology. We derive analytically the conditions for traveling wave profiles that allow the construction of the shape of traveling nerve impulses. The analytical and numerical results are used to explore the nature of the propagating pulses. The symmetric or asymmetric nature of the traveling pulses is characterized and the wave velocity is derived as a function of system parameters. Moreover, we present our results for an extended excitable medium by considering a slow-fast biophysical model with a homogeneous, diffusive coupling that can exhibit various traveling pulses. The appearance of series of pulses is an interesting phenomenon from biophysical and dynamical perspective. Varying the perturbation and coupling parameters, we observe the propagation of activities with various amplitude modulations and transition phases of different wave profiles that affect the speed of the pulses in certain parameter regimes. We observe different types of traveling pulses, such as envelope solitons and multi-bump solutions and show how system parameters and the coupling play a major role in the formation of different traveling pulses. Finally, we obtain the conditions for stable and unstable plane waves.