Outer synchronization of partially coupled dynamical networks via pinning impulsive controllers

This paper presents an analytical study of outer synchronization of partially coupled dynamical networks via pinning impulsive controller. At first, more realistic drive-response partially coupled networks are established. Then, based on the regrouping method, some efficient and less conservative synchronization criteria are derived and developed in terms of average impulsive interval. Our results show that, by impulsively controlling a crucial fraction of nodes in the response network, the outer synchronization can be achieved. Finally, illustrated examples are given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed strategy. (C) 2015 The Franklin Institute. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.