Signal detection by means of phase coherence induced through phase resetting

Abstract

Detection and location of moving prey utilizing electrosense or mechanosense is a strategy commonly followed by animals which cannot rely on visual sense or hearing. In this article we consider the possibility to detect the source of a localized stimulus that travels along a chain of detectors at constant speed. The detectors are autonomous oscillators whose frequencies have a given natural spread. The detection mechanism is based on phase coherence which is built up by phase resetting induced by the passing stimulus.