Traffic-driven explosive synchronization with adaptive local routing in complex networks

Despite extensive researches on explosive synchronization, the interplay between it and traffic dynamics has not received enough attentions. In this paper, we develop a traffic-driven Kuramoto-like synchronization model, in which pathway and strength of synchronization are determined by directed flow between the oscillator and its neighbors. We show how combining this model with an adaptive traffic routing based on local dynamic information of phase mismatches induces the explosive synchronization with hysteresis loop, width of which is produced by the difference between forward and backward critical coupling strengths and can be maximized by adjustable routing factors. We demonstrate the validity of such a mechanism in producing explosive synchronization phenomenon for different traffic flow levels, initial frequency distributions, network structures, as well as for both homogeneous and heterogeneous networks. Interestingly, it is found that the critical strength of forward coupling is easily affected by these factors, but backward transition behavior is robust with respect to them. All results indicate that our study can provide a new insight for the control of synchronization behavior in the real-world complex systems.