A pulse-coupled neural network was implemented, for the first time to
our knowledge, in a hybrid electro-optical laboratory demonstration sy
stem. Dynamic coherent traveling-wave patterns were observed that repe
ated their spatial patterns at each locality with a period that depend
ed on the local input pattern and strength. Coherence and periodicity
were maintained far beyond the physical limits of the linking receptiv
e fields, suggesting a new mechanism for information transmission in a
network with limited local connectivity. With no linking, the output
became chaotic because the relative phases increased linearly in time.