Two Mechanisms of Remote Synchronization in a Chain of Stuart-Landau Oscillators

Abstract

Remote synchronization implies that oscillators interacting not directly but via an additional unit (hub) adjust their frequencies and exhibit frequency locking while the hub remains asynchronous. In this paper, we analyze the mechanisms of remote synchrony in a small network of three coupled Stuart-Landau oscillators using recent results on high-order phase reduction. We analytically demonstrate the role of two factors promoting remote synchrony. These factors are the non-isochronicity of oscillators and the coupling terms appearing in the second-order phase approximation. We show a good correspondence between our theory and numerical results for small and moderate coupling strengths.