The Synergistic Route to Stretched Criticality

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel mechanism where synergistic interactions in networks lead to Griffiths-like slow dynamics and extended criticality, independent of disorder or frustration.

Contribution

It demonstrates that synergistic interactions can produce non-conventional critical phenomena in both higher-order and pairwise systems.

Findings

Broad distribution of relaxation rates observed

Robust emergence of extended criticality across network types

Mechanism independent of quenched disorder or frustration

Abstract

Griffiths phases are typically associated with quenched disorder, while frustration gives rise to multistability and spin-glass behavior. Whether extended criticality can arise in other contexts remains an open question. Here, we show that synergistic interactions provide a distinct route to non-conventional critical phenomena. By combining spreading mechanisms that reinforce activity through complementary pathways, we uncover a broad distribution of relaxation rates, leading to Griffiths-like slow dynamics and extended criticality. We demonstrate that this mechanism is robust across networks and emerges both in systems with explicit higher-order interactions and in purely pairwise systems with nonlinear dynamical rules.