Quantitative relaxation dynamics from generic initial configurations in the inertial Kuramoto model

Abstract: We study the relaxation dynamics of the inertial Kuramoto model toward a phase-locked state from a generic initial phase configuration. For this, we propose a sufficient framework in terms of initial data and system parameters for asymptotic phase-locking. It can be roughly stated as set of conditions such as a positive initial order parameter, a coupling strength sufficiently larger than initial frequency diameter and intrinsic frequency diameter, but less than the inverse of inertia. Under the proposed framework, generic initial configuration undergoes three dynamic stages (initial layer, condensation and relaxation stages) before it reaches a phase-locked state asymptotically. The first stage is the initial layer stage in analogy with fluid mechanics, during which the effect of the initial natural frequency distribution is dominant, compared to that of the sinusoidal coupling between oscillators. The second stage is the condensation stage, during which the order parameter increases, and at the end of which a majority cluster is contained in a sufficiently small arc. Finally, the third stage is the persistence and relaxation stage, during which the majority cluster remains stable (persistence) and the total configuration relaxes toward a phase-locked state asymptotically (relaxation). The intricate proof involves with several key tools such as the quasi-monotonicity of the order parameter (for the condensation stage), a nonlinear Gr\"onwall inequality on the diameter of the majority cluster (for the persistence stage), and a variant of the classical {\L}ojasiewicz gradient theorem (for the relaxation stage).