From approximate synchronization to identical synchronization in coupled systems (Q784315)

Synchronization of coupled subsystems is well-studied but often concentrates on the case of identical subsystems. This paper considers ``approximate synchronization'' which can occur when the system as a whole does not allow perfect synchrony as a solution, due to some form of heterogeneity. The framework is quite general and the approach relies on a new setting of an attracting set, an efficacious decomposition of the associated difference-differential system, and the sequential contracting technique. The authors show that the synchronization error depends on and decreases with decreasing difference between subsystems, difference between row sums of the connection matrix, and difference of communication delays between components. When these differences decrease to zero, approximate synchronization reduces to identical synchronization for coupled systems comprised of identical subsystems, with identical row sums of the connection matrix and identical communication delays. The theory is demonstrated on nonlinearly coupled heterogeneous FitzHugh-Nagumo neurons and coupled Lorenz systems. The authors show that for one type of coupling, the synchronization error decreases as the coupling strength increases, whereas in another case the error remains at a substantial level for large coupling strength.