Random Delays and the Synchronization of Chaotic Maps

We investigate the dynamics of an array of logistic maps coupled with random delay times. We report that for adequate coupling strength the array is able to synchronize, in spite of the random delays. Specifically, we find that the synchronized state is a homogeneous steady-state, where the chaotic dynamics of the individual maps is suppressed. This differs drastically from the synchronization with instantaneous and fixed-delay coupling, as in those cases the dynamics is chaotic. Also in contrast with the instantaneous and fixed-delay cases, the synchronization does not dependent on the connection topology, depends only on the average number of links per node. We find a scaling law that relates the distance to synchronization with the randomness of the delays. We also carry out a statistical linear stability analysis that confirms the numerical results and provides a better understanding of the nontrivial roles of random delayed interactions.