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From fireflies to drones: Researchers uncover strategy for synchronization efficiency

Researchers from The University of New Mexico School of Engineering looked to the natural world to explain how synchronized systems can work more efficiently and made a significant discovery. Their results were in the journal Nature Communications.

Francesco Sorrentino, professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Amirhossein Nazerian, Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering, explored the mathematics of synchronization and uncovered that biological systems use different, distinct stages during oscillation to work more efficiently.

The results are described in a publication titled "The efficiency of synchronization dynamics and the role of network syncreactivity."

"In terms of energy that is required for connected systems of oscillators to synchronize, our strategy shows we can have several orders of magnitude in energy savings," Nazerian said.

Synchronization of coupled systems occurs frequently in nature, from the connection between the heart and the lungs to the collaborative flickering of a group of fireflies. Lessons from these biological systems could improve the design and management of power grids, drones and other technology by allowing them to preserve energy during oscillation.

"We looked at this from a mathematical point of view and asked how systems in nature, in the human body, and in ecological and social systems synchronize. In nature, efficiency is very important, whether in animals or in cells, as these systems cannot afford to waste energy," Sorrentino said.

Many papers have explored synchronization through the lens of stability, but the authors believe there has not been research emphasizing efficiency and studying the stages of oscillation until now. The discovery also reveals opportunities for improved coupling, or communication, between components in an oscillating system.

Understanding the varied stages of oscillation allows scientists to manipulate the coupling strength by strongly reducing energy expenditure. The UNM team and Matteo Lodi at the University of Genoa conducted the theoretical elements of the study, then their collaborator Joseph Hart at the U.S. Naval Research Lab validated their results with experiments.

The strategy published by the team involves adapting the coupling strength based on the stage of oscillation of the system. The results indicate that the energy expenditure required for synchronization can be reduced if coupling between the oscillating systems is only activated when needed.