Collective directional transport in coupled nonlinear oscillators without external bias

Area of Science:

• Complex Systems
• Nonlinear Dynamics
• Statistical Physics

Background:

• Collective motion is a fundamental phenomenon in various physical and biological systems.
• Understanding emergent behavior in coupled oscillator networks is crucial for many scientific disciplines.
• External bias is typically required to induce directed motion in such systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the emergence of directed collective motion in a circular array of unidirectionally coupled oscillators.
• To explore the underlying mechanisms, specifically the role of spontaneous symmetry breaking.
• To identify conditions for optimal global transport and investigate noise-induced effects.

Main Methods:

• Numerical simulations of a circular array of unidirectionally coupled oscillators.
• Analysis of systems with symmetric potentials and in the absence of external bias.
• Investigation of parameter dependencies and the influence of noise.

Main Results:

• Directed collective motion was achieved numerically without external bias.
• This motion is attributed to the spontaneous breaking of temporal symmetry in the coupling.
• Optimal coherent global transport depends on the precise matching of control parameters.
• Noise-sustained directed transport and stochastic resonance in an autonomous system were observed.

Conclusions:

• Spontaneous temporal symmetry breaking can drive directed collective motion in coupled oscillator systems.
• Careful control of system parameters is essential for achieving efficient global transport.
• Noise can sustain directed motion and lead to stochastic resonance in autonomous oscillator networks.