Unified treatment of synchronization patterns in generalized networks with higher-order, multilayer, and temporal interactions

When describing complex interconnected systems, one often has to go beyond the standard network description to account for generalized interactions. Here, we establish a unified framework to simplify the stability analysis of cluster synchronization patterns for a wide range of generalized networks, including hypergraphs, multilayer networks, and temporal networks. The framework is based on finding a simultaneous block diagonalization of the matrices encoding the synchronization pattern and the network topology. As an application, we use simultaneous block diagonalization to unveil an intriguing type of chimera states that appear only in the presence of higher-order interactions. The unified framework established here can be extended to other dynamical processes and can facilitate the discovery of emergent phenomena in complex systems with generalized interactions. Recent studies have shown that complex systems are often best represented by generalized networks such as hypergraphs, multilayer networks, and temporal networks. Here, the authors propose a unified framework to investigate cluster synchronization patterns in generalized networks and demonstrate the existence of chimera states that emerge exclusively in the presence of higher-order interactions.

Automated summary

The study proposes a unified framework for investigating cluster synchronization patterns in generalized networks, demonstrating the existence of chimera states that emerge exclusively in the presence of higher-order interactions. This framework can be extended to other dynamical processes and facilitate the discovery of emergent phenomena in complex systems with generalized interactions.