Synchronization and phase redistribution in self-replicating populations of coupled oscillators and excitable elements

We study the dynamics of phase synchronization in growing populations of discrete phase oscillatory systems when the division process is coupled to the distribution of oscillator phases. Using mean field theory, linear stability analysis, and numerical simulations, we demonstrate that coupling between population growth and synchrony can lead to a wide range of dynamical behavior, including extinction of synchronized oscillations, the emergence of asynchronous states with unequal state (phase) distributions, bistability between oscillatory and asynchronous states or between two asynchronous states, a switch between continuous (supercritical) and discontinuous (subcritical) transitions, and modulation of the frequency of bulk oscillations.
Comment: 15 pages, 13 figures