Spike synchronization of chaotic oscillators as a phase transition

摘要

We study how a locally coupled array ofspiking chaotic systems synchronizes to an external drivingin a short time. Synchronization means spike separation atadjacent sites much shorter than the average inter-spikeinterval; a local lack of synchronization is called a defect.The system displays sudden spontaneous defect disap-pearance at a critical coupling strength suggesting anexistence of a phase transition. Below critical coupling, thesystem reaches order at a definite amplitude of an externalinput; this order persists for a fixed time slot. Thus, thearray behaves as an excitable-like system, even though thesingle element lacks such a property.