Notes on resonant and synchronized states in complex networks

Abstract

Synchronization and resonance on networks are some of the most remarkable collective dynamical phenomena. The network topology, or the nature and distribution of the connections within an ensemble of coupled oscillators, plays a crucial role in shaping the local and global evolution of the two phenomena. This article further explores this relationship within a compact mathematical framework and provides new contributions on certain pivotal issues, including a closed bound for the average synchronization time in arbitrary topologies; new evidences of the effect of the coupling strength on this time; exact closed expressions for the resonance frequencies in terms of the eigenvalues of the Laplacian matrix; a measure of the effectiveness of an influencer node’s impact on the network; and, finally, a discussion on the existence of a resonant synchronized state. Some properties of the solution of the linear swing equation are also discussed within the same setting. Numerical experiments conducted on two distinct real networks—a social network and a power grid—illustrate the significance of these results and shed light on intriguing aspects of how these processes can be interpreted within networks of this kind.