Cluster Synchronization of Kuramoto Oscillators and the Method of Averaging

Abstract: Rigorous conditions for cluster synchronization of Kuramoto oscillators are presented. The method of averaging plays an important role in stability analysis, but the standard Lyapunov's second method is not applicable due to the lack of uniform continuity. This paper contributes to overcoming this difficulty with the help of nonmonotonic Lyapunov functions. Our extensions of averaging in stability theory are key to derive the two interrelated cluster synchronization conditions: (i) the coupling strengths between clusters are sufficiently weak and/or (ii) the natural frequencies are largely different between clusters. Cluster phase cohesiveness in the absence of network partitions ensuring the existence of invariant manifolds is also investigated. Moreover, we apply our theoretical findings to brain networks and exhibit certain relations among network parameters and functional connectivity.