About fireflies, pedestrians and neurons: the synchronization of phase oscillators

Phase oscillators are dissipative dynamic systems with external energy input, and mathematically characterized by the presence of limit cycles, along which the dynamics can be described by a phase angle. In the present article, we consider synchronization phenomena in a system of many phase-coupled oscillators. We adopt a qualitative description, based on a paradigmatic model proposed by Y. Kuramoto in 1975. We discuss, in the light of this description, some applications in physical systems (metronomes and pedestrians on a suspension bridge) and biological (neurons and fireflies blinking).

Keywords
Kuramoto; oscillators; synchronization; phase