Delay-induced consensus of fractional-order complex networks via intermittent sampled position control

This paper investigates the consensus problem of fractional-order complex networks via intermittent sampled position control. A delay-induced consensus protocol with intermittent sampled position for the fractional-order system is proposed, where only the current and delayed sampled positions are used. Meanwhile, the controllers operate only for a period of time in each sampling interval, which decrease the working time and update rates of controllers. Successively, by discussing four situations involving delay, sampling period, and communication width, necessary and sufficient consensus criteria are presented. It is interesting to find the delay has a positive impact on consensus of fractional-order complex networks, since consensus cannot be achieved without delay under the proposed protocol. Finally, simulation examples are presented to illustrate the theoretical analysis.