Half a Century of the Kuramoto Model: Explaining Emergent Order in Time and Space
WE-Heraeus-Seminar
28 Jun - 03 Jul 2026
Where:
Physikzentrum Bad Honnef
Scientific organizers:
Dr. Simona Olmi, CNR, Italy ∗ Prof. Dr. Michael Rosenblum, U Potsdam ∗ Prof. Dr. Marc Timme, TU Dresden
Synchronization of self-sustained oscillators is observed in different systems in nature, ranging from physics and engineering to biology, neuroscience, and sociology. The challenge is to describe the emergence of spatio-temporal collective behavior in large nonlinear systems. In 1975 Prof. Yoshiki Kuramoto developed a solvable model of globally sine-coupled heterogeneous phase oscillators, shifting the research paradigm to a new level. Much theoretical and applied research adopted and extended the Kuramoto model to broader contexts. The core research problem is to uncover mechanisms of emergent phenomena in finite and infinite networks with different coupling topologies and different types of units (phase oscillators, high-dimensional oscillators, chaotic systems, excitable systems, rotators), in particular also beyond the weak and local coupling regimes. The proposed event aims to review, discuss, and advance cutting-edge research concepts, bridge frameworks in nonlinear dynamics for coupled oscillators with those of statistical physics, and push for novel directions in theory and applications.
The conference language will be English. The Wilhelm and Else Heraeus-Foundation bears the cost of full-board accommodation for all participants.