title: Diversity-induced resonance.
abstract: We present conclusive evidence showing that different sources of diversity, such as those represented by quenched disorder or noise, can induce a resonant collective behavior in an ensemble of coupled bistable or excitable systems. Our analytical and numerical results show that when such systems are subjected to an external subthreshold signal, their response is optimized for an intermediate value of the diversity. These findings show that intrinsic diversity might have a constructive role and suggest that natural systems might profit from their diversity in order to optimize the response to an external stimulus.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados (IMEDEA), CSIC-UIB, Ed. Mateu Orfila, Campus UIB, E-07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
authors.forename: Claudio J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Tessone
authors.forename: Claudio R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Mirasso
authors.forename: Raúl
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Toral
authors.forename: James D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Gunton