Coupled oscillators

Coupled oscillators are two or more oscillating systems whose interactions influence their motions or phases. Coupling can produce collective behavior such as synchronization, beating, or mode splitting.

Normal mode: A pattern of motion in which a coupled system oscillates at a characteristic frequency with a fixed relative shape. Each normal mode is a collective oscillation of the coupled system.
Harmonic oscillator: A system that oscillates around equilibrium under a restoring force proportional to displacement. It is the standard starting point for analyzing coupled mechanical oscillators.
Metronome synchronization: The spontaneous coordination of metronomes mounted on a movable shared support. The moving base transmits weak coupling that can synchronize otherwise independent metronomes.
Forced oscillator: An oscillator whose motion is driven by an external time-dependent input. External forcing differs from mutual coupling, where oscillators influence one another.
Phase synchronization: A dynamical state in which interacting oscillators maintain a stable relationship between their phases. It is a common collective outcome when coupling overcomes differences in oscillator rates.
Natural frequency: The frequency at which an oscillator moves when left to oscillate freely. Differences in natural frequencies compete with coupling and can prevent synchronization.
Josephson junction array: An arrangement of superconducting Josephson junctions whose electrical oscillations interact. Coupling among junctions enables coherent microwave emission and collective dynamics.
Injection locking: Synchronization of an oscillator to an external periodic signal near its natural frequency. It produces phase locking through a driver rather than interaction among autonomous oscillators.
Resonance: A large response that occurs when a system is driven near one of its natural frequencies. Frequency matching can make interactions between oscillators especially strong.
Phase: A variable specifying position within an oscillation cycle, usually measured as an angle. Coupling often acts by advancing or delaying each oscillator's phase.

Linked from 1 page