Global firing induced by noise or diversity in excitable media

TL;DR

This paper develops a theory explaining how noise and diversity induce global firing in non-identical excitable systems, revealing three dynamical regimes and a generic mechanism for synchronized activity.

Contribution

It introduces a unified theoretical framework for understanding noise- and diversity-induced global firing in excitable media, highlighting the generic nature of the mechanism.

Findings

Identification of three dynamical regimes: sub-threshold, coherent, and incoherent pulsations.

Demonstration that global firing results from degradation of entrainment due to noise or diversity.

The mechanism for global firing is shown to be generic across different excitable systems.

Abstract

We develop a theory for the emergence of global firings in non-identical excitable systems subject to noise. Three different dynamical regimes arise: sub-threshold motion, where all elements remain confined near the fixed point; coherent pulsations, where a macroscopic fraction fire simultaneously; and incoherent pulsations, where units fire in a disordered fashion. We also show that the mechanism for global firing is generic: it arises from degradation of entrainment originated either by noise or by diversity.