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Raúl ToralSpain Institute for Cross-Disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems in Palma de Mallorca
Constructive effects induced by heterogeneity: an application to a model for opinion formationAbstractHeterogeneity amongst the members of a society or group is usually interpreted to be a source of disorder, and this effect has to overcome by a coupling of sufficiently large magnitude if a collective behavior is to emerge from the ensemble. For example, the rhythmic applause in a concert occurs despite the intrinsic tendency of each individual to clap at a different pace than the others. A similar example is that of fireflies that manage to flash in perfect synchrony despite the unavoidable diversity in the individuals. In this talk, I will present conclusive evidence showing that different sources of heterogeneity can induce, paradoxically, a resonant collective behavior in an ensemble of coupled bistable or excitable model systems. An application will be shown in the field of opinion spreading, where a simple majority-rule model is able to follow optimally an external stimulus (advertising) under the presence of the right amount of heterogeneity amongst the constituents.
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