Eur. Phys. J. B 65, 271-277 (2008)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2008-00336-1

Collective behavior of electronic fireflies

¹ Babeş-Bolyai University, Faculty of Physics, 400084 Cluj, Romania
² Péter Pázmány Catholic University, Faculty of Information Technology, 1083 Budapest, Hungary

Corresponding author: ^a zneda@phys.ubbcluj.ro

Received: 26 March 2008
Revised: 24 July 2008
Published online: 5 September 2008

Abstract

A simple system composed of electronic oscillators capable of emitting and detecting light-pulses is studied. The oscillators are biologically inspired, there are designed for keeping a desired light intensity, W, in the system. From another perspective, the system behaves like modified integrate and fire type neurons that are pulse-coupled with inhibitory type interactions: the firing of one oscillator delays the firing of all the others. Experimental and computational studies reveal that although no direct driving force favoring synchronization is considered, for a given interval of W phase-locking appears. This weak synchronization is sometimes accompanied by complex dynamical patterns in the flashing sequence of the oscillators.