Noise-induced periodicity in a frustrated network of interacting diffusions

Abstract

We investigate the emergence of a collective periodic behavior in a frustrated network of interacting diffusions. Particles are divided into two communities depending on their mutual couplings. On the one hand, both intra-population interactions are positive; each particle wants to conform to the average position of the particles in its own community. On the other hand, inter-population interactions have different signs: the particles of one population want to conform to the average position of the particles of the other community, while the particles in the latter want to do the opposite. We show that this system features the phenomenon of noise-induced periodicity: in the infinite volume limit, in a certain range of interaction strengths, although the system has no periodic behavior in the zero-noise limit, a moderate amount of noise may generate an attractive periodic law.