Collective behavior of electronic fireflies

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.

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