Dual Control of Coupled Oscillator Networks

Robust coordination and organization in large ensembles of nonlinear oscillatory units play a vital role in a wide range of natural and engineered system. The control of self-organizing network-coupled systems has recently seen significant attention, but largely in the context of modifying or augmenting existing structures. This leaves a gap in our understanding of reactive control, where and how to design direct interventions, and what we may learn about structure and dynamics from such control strategies. Here we study reactive control of coupled oscillator networks and demonstrate dual control strategies, i.e., two different mechanisms for control, that may each be implemented on their own and interchangeably to achieve synchronization. These diverse strategies exploit different network properties, with the first directly targeting oscillators that are challenging to entrain, and the second focusing on oscillators with a strong influence on others. Thus, in addition to presenting alternative strategies for network control, the distinct control sets illuminate the oscillators' dynamical and structural roles within the system. The applicability of dual control is demonstrated using both synthetic and real networks.