title: Computation by switching in complex networks of states.
abstract: Complex networks of dynamically connected saddle states persistently emerge in a broad range of high-dimensional systems and may reliably encode inputs as specific switching trajectories. Their computational capabilities, however, are far from being understood. Here, we analyze how symmetry-breaking inhomogeneities naturally induce predictable persistent switching dynamics across such networks. We show that such systems are capable of computing arbitrary logic operations by entering into switching sequences in a controlled way. This dynamics thus offers a highly flexible new kind of computation based on switching along complex networks of states.
authors.affiliation: Network Dynamics Group, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Göttingen 37073, Germany.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schittler Neves
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Timme