LAUSR

An experimental investigation of the influence of an external periodic forcing on the synchronization dynamics of two inductively coupled plasma sources is reported. The driven response of the coupled system is found to have a rich structure in the parameter space of the frequency and the amplitude of the external driver. In particular, there is a strong impact on the nature of the phase-flip transitions between anti-phase and in-phase synchronized states of the system and the frequency bifurcation structure of the collective states. The external driver provides a convenient tool for accessing various collective states of the system and controlling the collective dynamics of the two coupled systems through a proper choice of its frequency and amplitude. Our experimental results are qualitatively supported by numerical simulation results from a theoretical model of two environmentally coupled van der Pol equations, one of which is also driven externally.