On the Global Synchronization of Pulse-coupled Oscillators Interacting on Chain and Directed Tree Graphs

Abstract: Driven by increased applications in biological networks and wireless sensor networks, synchronization of pulse-coupled oscillators (PCOs) has gained increased popularity. However, most existing results address the local synchronization of PCOs with initial phases constrained in a half cycle, and results on global synchronization from any initial condition are very sparse. In this paper, we address global PCO synchronization from an arbitrary phase distribution under chain or directed tree graphs. Our results differ from existing global synchronization studies on decentralized PCO networks in two key aspects: first, our work allows heterogeneous coupling functions, and we analyze the behavior of oscillators with perturbations on their natural frequencies; secondly, rather than requiring a large enough coupling strength, our results hold under any coupling strength between zero and one, which is crucial because a large coupling strength has been shown to be detrimental to the robustness of PCO synchronization to disturbances.