Desynchronization transitions in nonlinearly coupled phase oscillators (Q720699)

A detailed bifurcation analysis of a system of globally coupled identical phase oscillators is presented. In the considered model, the phase shift in the coupling explicitly depends on the order parameter, which extends the well-known Kuramoto-Sakaguchi model. It is proved that the steady states of the system for phase differences are either an in-phase synchronization, two-cluster state or a manifold, where the order parameter vanishes. The stable steady states may coexist with other attractors given by limit cycles or heteroclinic cycles. Several bifurcation scenarios of the above attractors are thoroughly discussed. The analytical calculations are illustrated for a particular example of the phase shift taken as a quadratic function of the order parameter. In the parameter space of the considered phase shift the multistability and bifurcations of the discussed attractors are elaborately explored. In particular, it is shown that a direct transition from the full in-phase synchronization to a partially synchronized state can be observed for large ensembles, whereas this transition is mediated by the emergence of a stable clustered state for small systems.