Synchronization plateaus in a lattice of coupled sine-circle maps

Frequency synchronization is a common phenomenon in spatially extended dynamical systems, like oscillator chains and coupled map lattices. We study the distribution of synchronization plateaus in a sine-circle map lattice with a variable range coupling and randomly distributed natural frequencies. A transition between synchronized and nonsynchronized phases is observed as the coupling range is varied. The lengths of the synchronization plateaus are found to obey an exponential distribution for local coupling.