Periodic systems have new classes of synchronization stability

The master stability function is a robust and useful tool for determining the conditions of synchronization stability in a network of coupled systems. While a comprehensive classification exists in the case in which the nodes are chaotic dynamical systems, its application to periodic systems has been less explored. By studying several well-known periodic systems, we establish a comprehensive framework to understand and classify their properties of synchronizability. This allows us to define five distinct classes of synchronization stability, including some that are unique to periodic systems. Specifically, in periodic systems, the master stability function vanishes at the origin, and it can therefore display behavioral classes that are not achievable in chaotic systems, where it starts, instead, at a strictly positive value. Moreover, our results challenge the widely held belief that periodic systems are easily put in a stable synchronous state, showing, instead, the common occurrence of a lower threshold for synchronization stability.