Relaxation dynamics of the Inertial Winfree model

Abstract: We prove two synchronization theorems for the second-order (inertial) Winfree model of coupled oscillators. The first result is a pathwise oscillator-death theorem with explicit smallness thresholds on the natural frequencies, initial velocities, and inertia, scaling as $R_0^{3/2}$ in the initial order parameter $R_0$. The second result is a qualitative zero-inertia synchronization statement: under generic initial data, if the intrinsic and initial velocity spreads are small compared to $κ$ and the inertia $m$ is small, then the limiting order parameter can be made arbitrarily close to 2. The proof of the first result is organized around three mechanisms, namely inertial gradient flow and the Łojasiewicz theorem, an initial layer argument, and an order-parameter bootstrapping argument. The proof of the second result involves approximation to the first-order case via a quantitative Tikhonov theorem.