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Explosive first-order transition to synchrony in networked chaotic oscillators
I. Leyva, R. Sevilla-Escoboza, J. M. Buldú, I. Sendiña-Nadal, J. Gómez-Gardeñes, A. Arenas, Y. Moreno, S. Gómez, R. Jaimes-Reátegui, S. Boccaletti
TL;DR
Whether explosive synchronization extends beyond periodic oscillators remained open. Using simulations and an electronic star network of chaotic oscillators, the paper finds first-order phase synchronization with hysteresis under specific topology–frequency and dynamical-regime conditions.
Problem
Whether explosive synchronization can occur in networks of chaotic oscillators, rather than only periodic ones, remained an open question.
Method
The study combines simulations of heterogeneous networks of chaotic Rössler units with experiments using six chaotic electronic circuits in a star configuration.
Results
The simulations and experiment provide evidence of a first-order transition toward phase synchronization, identified by hysteresis in the synchronization response.
Takeaways & Limitations
Explosive phase synchronization arises when frequency correlates with network heterogeneity and the chaotic units operate in an appropriate dynamical regime.
Takeaways & Limitations
Experimental oscillator frequencies exhibit unavoidable dispersions, and the experimental setup is not perfectly equivalent to the model.
Abstract
from arXiv · showhide
Critical phenomena in complex networks, and the emergence of dynamical abrupt transitions in the macroscopic state of the system are currently a subject of the outmost interest. We report evidence of an explosive phase synchronization in networks of chaotic units. Namely, by means of both extensive simulations of networks made up of chaotic units, and validation with an experiment of electronic circuits in a star configuration, we demonstrate the existence of a first order transition towards synchronization of the phases of the networked units. Our findings constitute the first prove of this kind of synchronization in practice, thus opening the path to its use in real-world applications.