Random fluctuations of response rate

A simple model for fluctuating interresponse times is developed and studied. It involves a mechanism that generates regularly spaced excitations, each of which can trigger off a response after a random delay. The excitations are not observable, but their periodicity is reflected in a regular patterning of responses. The probability distribution of the time between responses is derived and its properties are analyzed. Several limiting cases are also examined.This paper was completed while the writer was a visiting summer scientist at the Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, Mass.