COHERENCE AND INCOHERENCE IN A GLOBALLY COUPLED ENSEMBLE OF PULSE-EMITTING UNITS

A general theory of coherent behavior (''locking'') in a globally coup led ensemble of pulse-emitting units is presented. Each unit is modele d as a dynamic threshold device with arbitrary excitability function a nd noise. The interaction is described by a general linear-response ke rnel that includes a transmission delay. In the bulk limit, the dynami cs is solved exactly. Two types of solutions are studied, viz., cohere nt states with synchronous activity of all units and incoherent statio nary states, and their stability is analyzed in the low-noise limit.