title: Kuramoto model with coupling through an external medium.
abstract: Synchronization of coupled oscillators is often described using the Kuramoto model. Here, we study a generalization of the Kuramoto model where oscillators communicate with each other through an external medium. This generalized model exhibits interesting new phenomena such as bistability between synchronization and incoherence and a qualitatively new form of synchronization where the external medium exhibits small-amplitude oscillations. We conclude by discussing the relationship of the model to other variations of the Kuramoto model including the Kuramoto model with a bimodal frequency distribution and the Millennium bridge problem.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Physics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08854, USA.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Schwab
authors.forename: Gabriel G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Plunk
authors.forename: Pankaj
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mehta
mesh_terms: D008962:Models, Theoretical; D053038:Quorum Sensing; D013816:Thermodynamics