Enhancement of signal response in complex networks induced by topology and noise

Abstract

The effect of the topological structure of a coupled dynamical system in presence of noise on the signal response is investigated. In particular, we consider the response of a noisy overdamped bistable dynamical system driven by a periodic force, and linearly coupled through a complex network of interactions. We find that the interplay among the heterogeneity of the network and the noise plays a crucial role in the signal response of the dynamical system. This has been validated by extensive numerical simulations conducted in a variety of networks. Furthermore, we propose analytically tractable models based on simple topologies, which explain the observed behavior. © 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.