Death transitions in attractive–repulsive coupled oscillators with higher-order interactions

Abstract

The first-order phase transition from oscillation to steady state, known as explosive death (ED), is prevalent in various dynamical models. However, previous studies on ED have predominantly focused on interactions between pairs of elements. In this work, we investigate how death transitions occur when both pairwise and three-body interactions are present in an extended Van der Pol oscillator network with attractive–repulsive coupling. By examining both global and non-local interaction mechanisms, the impact of higher-order interactions on ED and the differences in the transition process are comprehensively analyzed. Firstly, we construct a diagram of the global dynamics in the context of higher-order and first-order coupling strengths, identifying that the higher-order interactions promote the onset of ED with a contribution comparable to that of first-order interactions. Specifically, for global coupling, the theoretical backward critical curves matching the numerical results are derived through linear stability analyses, showcasing a linear correlation with a slope of -1 between the higher-order and first-order coupling strengths. Under non-local coupling, fitting the numerically obtained backward critical curves likewise yields a consistent quantitative relationship. Additionally, during the transition process of ED, we discover intriguing coexisting states in the hysteresis area under non-local coupling, including the coexistence of chimera states with coherent or incoherent oscillation, and the coexistence of chimera states with oscillation death. This is attributed to symmetry breaking induced by non-local action. These findings enhance the understanding of higher-order interactions in complex systems and provide a fresh perspective for studying multi-stability behavior in biochemical and physical systems.