Anticipating synchronization in electrochemical systems.

Abstract

The anticipating synchronization in an ensemble of electrochemical cell oscillators exhibiting chaotic dynamics is analyzed. Using a setup up of up to three oscillators, it is observed that when such systems are coupled by unidirectional delayed time terms, the slave system can anticipate the dynamics of the master system by an anticipation time of τ. This anticipating time has an upper limit (critical τ) beyond which the slave system can no longer predict the master's chaotic dynamics due to Lyapunov instability. In order to enhance the anticipating time, we used a chain of oscillators in a master-slave configuration (i.e., via unidirectional coupling). The experimental observations were verified by numerical simulations using appropriate model systems. These results indicate that this specific type of synchronization is prevalent in a group of coupled electrochemical oscillators despite the inherent heterogeneities and drift phenomena, making them relevant for possible applications in biological systems.