Effect of colored noise on networks of nonlinear oscillators - art. no. 021105

We discuss noise-induced pattern formation in different two-dimensional net works of nonlinear oscillators, namely a sequence of biochemical reactions and the Lorenz system. The main focus of the work is on the dependence of t hese patterns on the correlation time (i.e., the color) of exponentially co rrelated Gaussian noise. It is seen that in the nonchaotic case, the homoge neity (or average cluster size) goes through a minimum with higher correlat ion time, while in its chaotic regime the Lorenz system shows a higher degr ee of synchronization when the correlation time of the noise is increased. In order to elucidate the origin of this phenomenon, the effect of colored noise on the individual oscillator is investigated. It is shown that the sp ecific dependence of the network's homogeneity on the noise correlation tim e arises from an interplay of the collective behavior and the properties of the single oscillators.