Optimization of synchronization in gradient clustered networks

We consider complex clustered networks with a gradient structure, where the sizes of the clusters are distributed unevenly. Such networks describe actual networks in biophysical systems and in technological applications more closely than the previous models. Theoretical analysis predicts that the network synchronizability can be optimized by the strength of the gradient field, but only when the gradient field points from large to small clusters. A remarkable finding is that, if the gradient field is sufficiently strong, synchronizability of the network is mainly determined by the properties of the subnetworks in the two largest clusters. These results are verified by numerical eigenvalue analysis and by direct simulation of synchronization dynamics on coupled-oscillator networks.