# Background compensation revisited: Conserved phase response curves in frequency controlled homeostats with coherent feedback

## TL;DR

The paper explores how systems can maintain stable responses to changes despite constant background signals, using oscillators with feedback mechanisms.

## Contribution

The study introduces a new perspective on background compensation through phase response curves in frequency-controlled oscillators.

## Key findings

- Frequency resetting amplitude in oscillators depends on inflow/outflow perturbations and is phase-dependent.
- Phase response curves and frequency resetting are background compensated.
- This mechanism may help organisms ignore ambient noise.

## Abstract

Background compensation is the ability of a controlled variable to respond to an applied perturbation in an unchanged manner and independent of different but constant background signals which act in parallel to the perturbation. Background compensation occurs by ‘coherent feedback’ mechanisms where additional control variables feed directly back to the controlled variable. This paper extends a previous study on background compensation to include phase responses in frequency controlled coherent feedback oscillators. While the frequency resetting amplitude in coherent feedback oscillators is found to be dependent on the inflow/outflow perturbation of the controlled variable and thereby become phase dependent, the frequency resetting itself and the corresponding phase response curves are found to be background compensated. It is speculated that this type of background compensation may be an additional way how ambient noise can be ‘ignored’ by organisms.