Chimeras in leaky integrate-and-fire neural networks: effects of reflecting connectivities

The effects of attracting-nonlocal and reflecting connectivity are investigated in coupled Leaky Integrate-and-Fire (LIF) elements, which model the exchange of electrical signals between neurons. Earlier investigations have demonstrated that repulsive-nonlocal and hierarchical network connectivity can induce complex synchronization patterns and chimera states in systems of coupled oscillators. In the LIF system we show that if the elements are nonlocally linked with positive diffusive coupling on a ring network, the system splits into a number of alternating domains. Half of these domains contain elements whose potential stays near the threshold and they are interrupted by active domains where the elements perform regular LIF oscillations. The active domains travel along the ring with constant velocity, depending on the system parameters. When we introduce reflecting coupling in LIF networks unexpected complex spatio-temporal structures arise. For relatively extensive ranges of parameter values, the system splits into two coexisting domains: one where all elements stay near the threshold and one where incoherent states develop, characterized by multi-leveled mean phase velocity profiles.     

Quantification of transients using empirical orthogonal functions

The method of empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) is used to analyse spatio-temporal data obtained from simulations of heterogeneous catalysis. It is found that EOFs are well suited for the quantitative determination of transients in the data. The effectivity of the technique is demonstrated using synthetical data with an analytically known transient component.     

Beautiful Gauge Field Equations in Clifforms

By combining the tetrads of unholonomic frames of spacetime with the Dirac matrices to a one-form , we can reformulate not only the Dirac equation, but also the Einstein equations and supergravity in a very concise form. These Clifforms also shed some light on the chiral decomposition à la Ashtekar, the role of the axion as a dynamical degree of freedom dual to the torsion of the Einstein—Cartan theory, and the role of the Seiberg—Witten equation for S-duality.     

S-duality in 3D gravity with torsion

The deformation of the connection in three spacetime dimensions by the kinematically equivalent coframe is shown to induce a duality between the (Lorentz-) rotational and translational field momenta, for which the coupling to the deformation parameter is inverted. This new kind of strong/weak duality, pertinent to 3D, is instrumental for studying exact solutions of the 3D Poincaré gauge field equations and the particle content of propagating modes on a background of constant curvature. For a topological Chern-Simons model of gravity, the propagating modes ‘living’ on an Anti-de Sitter (AdS) background correspond to real massive particles. Yang-Mills type generalizations and new cubic Lagrangians are found and completely classified in 3D. AdS or black hole type solutions with constant axial torsion emerge, also for these higher-order Lagrangians with new ‘exotic’ torsion-curvature couplings. Their pattern complies with our S-duality, with new repercussions for the field redefinition of the metric in 3D quantum gravity and the cosmological constant problem.     

Strong and weak chaos in nonlinear networks with time-delayed couplings

We study chaotic synchronization in networks with time-delayed coupling. We introduce the notion of strong and weak chaos, distinguished by the scaling properties of the maximum Lyapunov exponent within the synchronization manifold for large delay times, and relate this to the condition for stable or unstable chaotic synchronization, respectively. In simulations of laser models and experiments with electronic circuits, we identify transitions from weak to strong and back to weak chaos upon monotonically increasing the coupling strength.