Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 2, 2026

Preparation of Liquid Crystal Networks for Macroscopic Oscillatory Motion Induced by Light
Published on: September 20, 2017
Emergence of coupling-induced oscillations and broken symmetries in heterogeneously driven nonlinear reaction
Varsha Sreenivasan1, Shakti N Menon1, Sitabhra Sinha2
1The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, CIT Campus, Taramani, Chennai, 600113, India.
Abstract:
Many natural systems including the brain comprise coupled elements that are stimulated non-uniformly. In this paper we show that heterogeneously driven networks of excitatory-inhibitory units exhibit a diverse range of collective phenomena, including the appearance of spontaneous oscillations upon coupling quiescent elements. On varying the coupling strength a previously unreported transition is seen wherein the symmetries of the synchronization patterns in the stimulated and unstimulated groups undergo mutual exchange. The system also exhibits coexisting chaotic and non-chaotic attractors - a result that may be of interest in connection to earlier reports of varying degrees of chaoticity in the brain.
Related Concept Videos
Coupled Reactions
Energy in adenosine triphosphate or ATP molecules is easily accessible to do work. ATP powers the majority of energy-requiring cellular reactions....
Cooperative Allosteric Transitions
Cooperative Allosteric Transitions
Cooperative Allosteric Transitions
Oscillations about an Equilibrium Position
¹H NMR: Long-Range Coupling
In alkenes, spin information is communicated via σ–π overlap, as seen in allylic (four-bond) and homoallylic (five-bond) couplings. These coupling interactions are stronger when the σ bond is parallel to the alkene...

