The transition from phase locking to drift in a system of two weakly coupled Van Der Pol oscillators (Q1117727)

We investigate the slow flow resulting from the application of the two variable expansion perturbation method to a system of two linearly coupled van der Pol oscillators. The slow flow consists of three non- linear coupled odes on the amplitudes and phase difference of the oscillators. We obtain regions in parameter space which correspond to phase locking, phase entrainment and phase drift of the coupled oscillators. In the slow flow, these states correspond respectively to a stable equilibrium, a stable limit cycle and a stable libration orbit. Phase entrainment, in which the phase difference between the oscillators varies periodically, is seen as an intermediate state between phase locking and phase drift. In the slow flow, the transitions between these states are shown to be associated Hopf and saddle-connection bifurcations.