Interplay of Delay and multiplexing: Impact on Cluster Synchronization

TL;DR

This paper investigates how communication delays and multiplexing interact in networked systems, revealing complex effects on cluster synchronization, including scenarios where delays can enhance robustness of synchronization.

Contribution

It introduces a simple model to study the combined effects of delay and multiplexing on cluster synchronization, highlighting novel and counterintuitive phenomena.

Findings

Delay impacts can both enhance and suppress synchronization.

Multiplexing can improve cluster synchronization in delayed layers.

Certain scenarios show delays increasing robustness of synchronization.

Abstract

Communication delays and multiplexing are ubiquitous features of real-world networked systems. We here introduce a simple model where these two features are simultaneously present, and report the rich phe- nomenology which is actually due to their interplay on cluster synchronization. A delay in one layer has non trivial impacts on the collective dynamics of the other layers, enhancing or suppressing synchronization. At the same time, multiplexing may also enhance cluster synchronization of delayed layers. We elucidate several non trivial (and anti-intuitive) scenarios, which are of interest and potential application in various real-world systems, where introduction of a delay may render synchronization of a layer robust against changes in the properties of the other layers.