Dynamics and synchronization analysis of coupled fractional-order nonlinear electromechanical systems

A fractional-order (FO) nonlinear model is used to describe an electromechanical system. We make capital out of the fact that for realistic modeling, the electric characteristics of a capacitor include a fractional-order time derivative. The dynamics and synchronization of coupled fractional-order nonlinear electromechanical systems are analyzed. Detailed attention is granted to the bifurcations that can occur in the dynamics of a single uncoupled electromechanical system as the fractional-order varies. For example, the fractional-order counterparts of the chaotic 4-order system are periodic at orders less than 3.985. The effect of the fractional-order on the condition of occurrence of synchronization phenomena in the network of many mutually coupled fractional-order nonlinear electromechanical systems is analyzed, especially when they are chaotic. An insight on the overall dynamics of the network is provided. It is shown that the dynamics of both the uncoupled system and the network are very sensitive to changes in the order of the fractional derivative.