Frustrated neurons: Energy landscapes and relaxation dynamics in repulsive phase oscillators (opens in new tab)

Geometrical frustration, a central paradigm in condensed matter physics, provides a unifying language for systems in which locally preferred interactions cannot be made globally compatible. Here, we use this language to formulate a minimal theory of frustrated neural timing, mapping repulsively coupled rhythmic units onto antiferromagnetic XY models. Within this framework, the condensed-matter concepts of local constraints, degenerate ground-sta...