This research aims to achieve a fundamental understanding of synchronization and its interplay with the topology of complex networks. Synchronization is a ubiquitous phenomenon observed in different contexts in physics, chemistry, biology, medicine and engineering. Most prominently, synchronization takes place in the brain, where it is associated with several cognitive capacities but is - in abundance - a characteristic of neurological diseases. Besides zero-lag synchrony, group and cluster states are considered, enabling a description and study of complex synchronization patterns within the presented theory. Adaptive control methods are developed, which allow the control of synchronization in scenarios where parameters drift or are unknown. These methods are, therefore, of particular interest for experimental setups or technological applications. The theoretical framework is demonstrated on generic models, coupled chemical oscillators and several detailed examples of neural networks.

The focus of this thesis are synchronization phenomena in networks and their intrinsic control through time delay, which is ubiquitous in real-world systems ranging from physics and acoustics to neuroscience and engineering. We encounter synchronization everywhere and it can be either a helpful or a detrimental mechanism. In the first part, after a survey of complex nonlinear systems and networks, we show that a seemingly simple system of two organ pipes gives birth to complex bifurcation and synchronization scenarios. Going from a 2-oscillator system to a ring of oscillators, we encounter the intriguing phenomenon of chimera states which are partial synchrony patterns with coexisting domains of synchronized and desynchronized dynamics. For more than a decade scientist have tried to solve the puzzle of this spontaneous symmetry-breaking emerging in networks of identical elements. We provide an analysis of initial conditions and extend our model by the addition of time delay and fractal connectivities. In the second part, we investigate partial synchronization patterns in a neuronal network and explain dynamical asymmetry arising from the hemispheric structure of the human brain. A particular focus is on the novel scenario of partial relay synchronization in multiplex networks. Such networks allow for synchronization of the coherent domains of chimera states via a remote layer, whereas the incoherent domains remain desynchronized. The theoretical framework is demonstrated with different generic models.

The focus of this thesis is the interplay of synchrony and adaptivity in complex networks. Synchronization is a ubiquitous phenomenon observed in different contexts in physics, chemistry, biology, neuroscience, medicine, socioeconomic systems, and engineering. Most prominently, synchronization takes place in the brain, where it is associated with cognitive capacities like learning and memory, but is also a characteristic of neurological diseases like Parkinson and epilepsy. Adaptivity is common in many networks in nature and technology, where the connectivity changes in time, i.e., the strength of the coupling is continuously adjusted depending upon the dynamic state of the system, for instance synaptic neuronal plasticity in the brain. This research contributes to a fundamental understanding of various synchronization patterns, including hierarchical multifrequency clusters, chimeras and other partial synchronization states. After a concise survey of the fundamentals of adaptive and complex dynamical networks and synaptic plasticity, in the first part of the thesis the existence and stability of cluster synchronization in globally coupled adaptive networks is discussed for simple paradigmatic phase oscillators as well as for a more realistic neuronal oscillator model with spike-timing dependent plasticity. In the second part of the thesis the interplay of adaptivity and connectivity is investigated for more complex network structures like nonlocally coupled rings, random networks, and multilayer systems. Besides presenting a plethora of novel, sometimes intriguing patterns of synchrony, the thesis makes a number of pioneering methodological advances, where rigorous mathematical proofs are given in the Appendices. These results are of interest not only from a fundamental point of view, but also with respect to challenging applications in neuroscience and technological systems.

This is the first book devoted to chimera states - peculiar partial synchronization patterns in networks. Providing an overview of the state of the art in research on this topic, it explores how these hybrid states, which are composed of spatially separated domains of synchronized and desynchronized behavior, arise surprisingly in networks of identical units and symmetric coupling topologies. The book not only describes various types of chimeras, but also discusses the role of time delay, stochasticity, and network topology for these synchronization-desynchronization patterns. Moreover, it addresses the question of robustness and control of chimera states, which have various applications in physics, biology, chemistry, and engineering. This book is intended for researchers with a background in physics, applied mathematics, or engineering. Of great interest to specialists working on related problems, it is also a valuable resource for newcomers to the field and other scientists working on the control of spatio-temporal patterns.

This book is mainly focused on the global impulsive synchronization of complex dynamical networks with different types of couplings, such as general state coupling, nonlinear state coupling, time-varying delay coupling, derivative state coupling, proportional delay coupling and distributed delay coupling. Studies on impulsive synchronization of complex dynamical networks have attracted engineers and scientists from various disciplines, such as electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, mathematics, network science, system engineering. Pursuing a holistic approach, the book establishes a fundamental framework for this topic, while emphasizing the importance of network synchronization and the significant influence of impulsive control in the design and optimization of complex networks. The primary audience for the book would be the scholars and graduate students whose research topics including the network science, control theory, applied mathematics, system science and so on.

The focus of this thesis is the interplay of synchrony and adaptivity in complex networks. Synchronization is a ubiquitous phenomenon observed in different contexts in physics, chemistry, biology, neuroscience, medicine, socioeconomic systems, and engineering. Most prominently, synchronization takes place in the brain, where it is associated with cognitive capacities like learning and memory, but is also a characteristic of neurological diseases like Parkinson and epilepsy. Adaptivity is common in many networks in nature and technology, where the connectivity changes in time, i.e., the strength of the coupling is continuously adjusted depending upon the dynamic state of the system, for instance synaptic neuronal plasticity in the brain. This research contributes to a fundamental understanding of various synchronization patterns, including hierarchical multifrequency clusters, chimeras and other partial synchronization states. After a concise survey of the fundamentals of adaptive and complex dynamical networks and synaptic plasticity, in the first part of the thesis the existence and stability of cluster synchronization in globally coupled adaptive networks is discussed for simple paradigmatic phase oscillators as well as for a more realistic neuronal oscillator model with spike-timing dependent plasticity. In the second part of the thesis the interplay of adaptivity and connectivity is investigated for more complex network structures like nonlocally coupled rings, random networks, and multilayer systems. Besides presenting a plethora of novel, sometimes intriguing patterns of synchrony, the thesis makes a number of pioneering methodological advances, where rigorous mathematical proofs are given in the Appendices. These results are of interest not only from a fundamental point of view, but also with respect to challenging applications in neuroscience and technological systems.