Phase multistability and phase synchronization in an array of locally coupled period-doubling oscillators

Abstract

We consider phase multistability and phase synchronization phenomena in a chain of period-doubling oscillators. The synchronization in arrays of diffusively coupled self-sustained oscillators manifests itself as rotating wave regimes, which are characterized by equal amplitudes and phases in every site which are shifted by a constant value. The value of the phase shift is preserved while the shape of motion becomes more complex through a period-doubling cascade. The number of coexisting attractors increases drastically after the transition from period-one to period-two oscillations and then after every following period-doubling bifurcation. In the chaotic region, we observe a number of phase-synchronized modes with instantaneous phases locked in different values. The loss of phase synchronization with decreasing coupling is accompanied by intermittency between several synchronous regimes.