Network dynamics of coupled oscillators and phase reduction techniques

Publication date: Available online 25 June 2019Source: Physics ReportsAuthor(s): Bastian Pietras, Andreas DaffertshoferAbstractInvestigating the dynamics of a network of oscillatory systems is a timely and urgent topic. Phase synchronization has proven paradigmatic to study emergent collective behavior within a network. Defining the phase dynamics, however, is not a trivial task. The literature provides an arsenal of solutions, but results are scattered and their formulation is far from standardized. Here, we present, in a unified language, a catalogue of popular techniques for deriving the phase dynamics of coupled oscillators. Traditionally, approaches to phase reduction address the (weakly) perturbed dynamics of an oscillator. They fall into three classes. (i) Many phase reduction techniques start off with a Hopf normal form description, thereby providing mathematical rigor. There, the caveat is to first derive the proper normal form. We explicate several ways to do that, both analytically and (semi-)numerically. (ii) Other analytic techniques capitalize on time scale separation and/or averaging over cyclic variables. While appealing for their more intuitive implementation, they often lack accuracy. (iii) Direct numerical approaches help to identify oscillatory behavior but may limit an overarching view how the reduced phase dynamics depends on model parameters. After illustrating and reviewing the necessary mathematical details for single oscillators, we turn to networks ...

Source: Physics Reports - June 27, 2019 Category: Physics Source Type: research