Eur. Phys. J. B (2014) 87: 82
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2014-41029-2

Regular Article

Noise-sustained synchronization in a FitzHugh-Nagumo ring with electrical phase-repulsive coupling

¹ IFIMAR, Instituto de Investigaciones Físicas de Mar del Plata (CONICET–UNMDP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Deán Funes 3350, 7600 Mar del Plata, Argentina
² Centro Atómico Bariloche, CONICET, San Carlos de Bariloche, R8402 AGP Río Negro, Argentina

^a e-mail: matiasdellerba@gmail.com

Received: 21 November 2013
Received in final form: 28 February 2014
Published online: 7 April 2014

Abstract

We study the dynamical response under local noise of an excitable ring of FitzHugh-Nagumo units coupled through nearest-neighbor phase-repulsive electric synapses. The system is externally, adiabatically driven by a weak subthreshold periodic signal and independent Gaussian white noises. By varying the coupling strength and the noise intensity, two routes to noise-sustained synchronization are numerically observed and elucidated in terms of the system’s non-equilibrium potential. In particular, the threshold noise intensity for synchronization is theoretically predicted and numerically confirmed.