by Susanna C Manrubia (Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Spain), Alexander S Mikhailov (Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Germany), & Damián H Zanette (Centro Atómico Bariloche, Argentina)

Synchronization processes bring about dynamical order and lead to spontaneous development of structural organization in complex systems of various origins, from chemical oscillators and biological cells to human societies and the brain. This book provides a review and a detailed theoretical analysis of synchronization phenomena in complex systems with different architectures, composed of elements with periodic or chaotic individual dynamics. Special attention is paid to statistical concepts, such as nonequilibrium phase transitions, order parameters and dynamical glasses.

• Synchronization and Clustering of Periodic Oscillators:
  • Ensembles of Identical Phase Oscillators
  • Heterogeneous Ensembles and the Effects of Noise
  • Oscillator Networks
  • Arrays of Limit-Cycle Oscillators
• Synchronization and Clustering in Chaotic Systems:
  • Chaos and Synchronization
  • Synchronization in Populations of Chaotic Elements
  • Clustering
  • Dynamical Glasses
• Selected Applications:
  • Chemical Systems
  • Biological Cells
  • Neural Networks