Lateral inhibition in relaxation oscillators provides a basis for computation

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that coupled relaxation oscillators with lateral inhibition can encode computational logic through state transitions governed by an energy landscape, offering a new framework for computation in far-from-equilibrium systems.

Contribution

It introduces a novel computational framework based on state transitions in coupled relaxation oscillators influenced by lateral inhibition.

Findings

States can be mapped to binary strings for computation.

Transitions are governed by an effective energy landscape.

The framework applies to far-from-equilibrium systems.

Abstract

Coupled relaxation oscillators, realized via chemical or other means, can exhibit a multiplicity of steady states, characterized by spatial patterns resulting from lateral inhibition. We show that perturbation-initiated transformations between these configurations, mapped to binary strings via coarse-graining, provide a basis for computation. The rules governing these transitions emerge from an underlying effective energy landscape shaped by the global and local stabilities of these states. Our results suggest a framework by which far-from-equilibrium systems may encode a computational logic.