Synchronization of two interacting populations of oscillators

Abstract

We analyze synchronization between two interacting populations of different phase oscillators. For the important case of asymmetric coupling functions, we find a much richer dynamical behavior compared to that of symmetrically coupled populations of identical oscillators. It includes three types of bistabilities, higher order entrainment, and the existence of states with unusual stability properties. All possible routes to synchronization of the populations are presented and some stability boundaries are obtained analytically. The impact of these findings for neuroscience is discussed.