Collective dynamics on networks: Synchrony, disorder, and chimeras

When nonlinear dynamical components interact through complex networks, interesting collective behaviors can emerge. A natural example is synchronization, in which system-level coherence spontaneously emerge from decentralized interactions. A large body of literature has focused on the emergence of global synchrony among identical components, generating important insights such as how network structures influence a system's ability to synchronize. In this talk, I will explore two extensions of this paradigm: 1) What happens when the components are allowed to be different? Would introducing disorder always impede synchronization? 2) What new phenomena will we encounter when components are allowed to behave differently, as manifested by partial synchrony and chimeras?