SUMMARY
A new synchronization model based on pulse-coupled oscillators is proposed. A population of coupled oscillators is represented as a cellular automaton. Each cell periodically enters a firing state. Firing of a cell is sensed by other cells in a neighborhood of radius R. As a result the sensing cell may change its firing rate. The interaction strength between a firing and a sensing cell decreases with the squared distance between the two cells. For most starting conditions waves of synchronized firing cells emerge. Simulations indicate that for certain parameter values the emergence of synchronization waves occurs only if there is dispersion in the intrinsic firing frequencies of the cells. Emergence of synchronization waves is an important feature of the model.