Center for Applied Mathematics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
Department of Physics and Research Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, 561-756, Korea.
Nat Commun. 2017 Nov 15;8(1):1504. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-01190-3.
Synchronization occurs in many natural and technological systems, from cardiac pacemaker cells to coupled lasers. In the synchronized state, the individual cells or lasers coordinate the timing of their oscillations, but they do not move through space. A complementary form of self-organization occurs among swarming insects, flocking birds, or schooling fish; now the individuals move through space, but without conspicuously altering their internal states. Here we explore systems in which both synchronization and swarming occur together. Specifically, we consider oscillators whose phase dynamics and spatial dynamics are coupled. We call them swarmalators, to highlight their dual character. A case study of a generalized Kuramoto model predicts five collective states as possible long-term modes of organization. These states may be observable in groups of sperm, Japanese tree frogs, colloidal suspensions of magnetic particles, and other biological and physical systems in which self-assembly and synchronization interact.
同步现象存在于许多自然和技术系统中，从心脏起搏器细胞到耦合激光器。在同步状态下，个体细胞或激光器协调它们的振荡的时间，但它们不会在空间中移动。一种互补的自组织形式发生在成群的昆虫、成群的鸟类或成群的鱼类中；现在个体通过空间移动，但不会明显改变它们的内部状态。在这里，我们探索同时发生同步和聚集的系统。具体来说，我们考虑振荡器的相位动力学和空间动力学耦合。我们称它们为 swarmalators，以突出它们的双重特征。广义 Kuramoto 模型的一个案例研究预测了五个集体状态，作为可能的长期组织模式。这些状态可能在精子、日本树蛙、胶体悬浮液中的磁性粒子和其他生物和物理系统中观察到，在这些系统中，自组装和同步相互作用。
