Multistable states in a system of coupled phase oscillators with inertia

Abstract

We investigate the generalized Kuramoto model of globally coupled oscillators with inertia, in which oscillators with positive coupling strength are conformists and oscillators with negative coupling strength are contrarians. We consider the correlation between the coupling strengths of oscillators and the distributions of natural frequencies. Two different types of correlations are studied. It is shown that the model supports multistable synchronized states such as different types of travelling wave states, π state and another type of nonstationary state: an oscillating π state. The phase distribution oscillates in a confined region and the phase difference between conformists and contrarians oscillates around π periodically in the oscillating π state. The different types of travelling wave state may be characterized by the speed of travelling wave and the effective frequencies of oscillators. Finally, the bifurcation diagrams of the model in the parameter space are presented.