Synchronization of directed hypergraphs with heterogeneities via dynamic coupling

Abstract

Many real-world networks involve interactions among three or more agents that cannot be reduced to pairwise coupling, making hypergraphs a natural modeling framework. In this work, we study complete synchronization in directed hypergraphs of nonlinear agents with parameter mismatches under dynamic diffusive coupling. Although proportional-integral coupling schemes are known to achieve consensus in heterogeneous linear networks, their ability to enforce complete synchronization in nonlinear systems is more limited, generally yielding only bounded synchronization. We show that complete synchronization can be attained only when the effect of parameter mismatches is structurally equivalent, in the transverse dynamics, to a constant disturbance. Under this condition, we derive invariance and local stability conditions for the synchronization manifold and develop a Master Stability Function framework for directed hypergraphs with dynamic coupling. The proposed approach accounts for distinct proportional and integral hypergraph layers and provides spectral criteria for predicting synchronization regions. Numerical simulations on directed hypergraphs of Lorenz oscillators validate the theoretical predictions and show how the integral action can compensate destabilizing effects induced by the proportional layer. We further demonstrate the applicability of the framework to a pinning-control problem in nonlinear opinion dynamics, where dynamic diffusive coupling achieves complete leader-follower consensus in the presence of heterogeneity.