Edge-Based Adaptive Distributed Method for Synchronization of Intermittently Coupled Spatiotemporal Networks

In biology networks, social networks, mobile robots, and many real networks, spatial factors are crucial to the evolution of networks and individual interactions are not always continuous. In this article, a kind of intermittently coupled spatiotemporal networks (ICSNs) is proposed, where the couplings among nodes are intermittent and the coupling strengths are related to both time and space. By constructing piecewise auxiliary functions and developing a direct error method, a distributed intermittent adaptive protocol and its pinning form are designed to determine the space-time dependent weights of edges to realize synchronization of ICSNs. Lastly, the theoretical analysis is supported by means of a numerical example.

Automated summary

This article proposes a model of intermittently coupled spatiotemporal networks (ICSNs), where the couplings among nodes are intermittent and the coupling strengths are related to both time and space. By designing a distributed adaptive protocol and its pinning form, synchronization of nodes in the network can be achieved. The theoretical analysis is supported by a numerical example.