Universal scaling and phase transitions of coupled phase oscillator populations

The Kuramoto model, which serves as a paradigm for investigating synchronization phenomena of oscillatory systems, is known to exhibit second-order, i.e., continuous, phase transitions in the macroscopic order parameter. Here we generalize a number of classical results by presenting a general framework for analytically capturing the critical scaling properties of the order parameter at the onset of synchronization. Using a self-consistent approach and constructing a characteristic function, we identify various phase transitions toward synchrony and establish scaling relations describing the asymptotic dependence of the order parameter on the coupling strength near the critical point. We find that the geometric properties of the characteristic function, which depends on the natural frequency distribution, determine the scaling properties of order parameter above criticality.