Synchronization of Chaos

Abstract

Dynamical networks are important models for the behaviour of complex systems, modelling physical, biological and societal systems, including the brain, food webs, epidemic disease in populations, power grids and many other. Such dynamical networks can exhibit behaviour in which deterministic chaos, exhibiting unpredictability and disorder, coexists with synchronization, a classical paradigm of order. We survey the main theory behind complete, generalized and phase synchronization phenomena in simple as well as complex networks and discuss applications to secure communications, parameter estimation and the anticipation of chaos.