Minimal model for spatial coherence resonance.

We show that a planar medium, locally modeled by a simple one-dimensional excitable system with a piece-wise linear potential, can serve as a minimal model for spatial coherence resonance. Via an analytical treatment of the spatially extended system, we derive the dependence of the resonant wave number on several crucial system parameters, ranging from the diffusion coefficient to the local excursion time of constitutive excitable units. Thus, we provide vital insights into mechanisms that enable the emergence of exclusively noise-induced spatial periodicity in excitable media.