Cooperative Network Synchronization: Asymptotic Analysis

TL;DR

This paper presents a framework for analyzing the asymptotic performance of cooperative network synchronization, introducing new metrics to relate network properties and observation quality to synchronization limits.

Contribution

It develops a novel analytical framework using CDI concepts to derive closed-form asymptotic performance bounds for cooperative synchronization.

Findings

Derived closed-form asymptotic expressions for synchronization performance

Introduced the concepts of cooperative dilution intensity and relative CDI

Linked network topology and observation quality to synchronization limits

Abstract

Accurate clock synchronization is required for collaborative operations among nodes across wireless networks. Compared with traditional layer-by-layer methods, cooperative network synchronization techniques lead to significant improvement in performance, efficiency, and robustness. This paper develops a framework for the performance analysis of cooperative network synchronization. We introduce the concepts of cooperative dilution intensity (CDI) and relative CDI to characterize the interaction between agents, which can be interpreted as properties of a random walk over the network. Our approach enables us to derive closed-form asymptotic expressions of performance limits, relating them to the quality of observations as well as network topology.