On synchronization in Kuramoto models on spheres (Q1981643)

This paper studies generalizations of the classical Kuramoto model of coupled oscillators, in which the evolution occurs on a sphere of arbitrary dimension, rather than on a circle. Two versions of the model, a `real' and a `complex' version, are studied. Considering the case of an infinite population of identical oscillators of such oscillators, whose initial condition is uniformly distributed on the sphere, it is shown that the evolution of the probability density of the oscillators can be described in a quite explicit form, involving the action of conformal trasformations preserving the unit ball, whose defining parameter is given as the solution of an ordinary differential equation. This allows to study an order parameter measuring the degree of synchronization of the oscillators. For the 'real' model the rate of synchronization is shown to be faster for higher dimensions, while for the `complex' model the evolution of the order parameter is independent of the dimension. Numerical simulations with several hundred oscillators are in agreement with the theoretical results obtained in the infinite-population case.