Disorder-Promoted Synchronization. 21-000000008

It is well established that many natural systems (e.g., neuronal circuits) and engineered systems (e.g., power grids) rely on synchronization to function. Traditional research has assumed that the emergence of synchronization in such systems is disadvantaged by disorder, which has led to significant design challenges in applications. However, recent research suggests that this assumption does not hold in general, and that disorder can be harnessed to facilitate synchronization. The overarching objective of this collaborative proposal is to investigate the role of disorder in promoting synchronization in technological systems of relevance to the ONR, the Navy, and the DOD. The research will involve a cross-disciplinary collaboration between researchers at Northwestern Univ. (NU), the Univ. of Central Florida (UCF), and Georgia State Univ. (GSU). The research is inherently interdisciplinary and will contribute to the research training of graduate students at each of the three institutions in a way that traditional research projects cannot. The NU group has a long record of mentoring students from underrepresented groups, GSU is a predominantly black institution, and UCF is a Hispanic-serving institution. This project will thus help broaden research training of minority students that thrive on racial and economic diversity, thereby advancing workforce development of relevance to the DOD.