Pulse-coupled relaxation oscillators: from biological synchronization to Self-Organized Criticality

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that pulse-coupled oscillators can synchronize under broader conditions than previously thought, with implications for biological systems and Self-Organized Criticality in physical models.

Contribution

It extends the understanding of synchronization conditions in pulse-coupled oscillators and links this phenomenon to Self-Organized Criticality in relaxation oscillator models.

Findings

Synchronization occurs under broader conditions than classical theorems suggest.

Synchronization is stable against frozen disorder.

Relation established between oscillator synchronization and Self-Organized Criticality.

Abstract

It is shown that globally-coupled oscillators with pulse interaction can synchronize under broader conditions than widely believed from a theorem of Mirollo \& Strogatz \cite{MirolloII}. This behavior is stable against frozen disorder. Beside the relevance to biology, it is argued that synchronization in relaxation oscillator models is related to Self-Organized Criticality in Stick-Slip-like models.