Synchronization with sound propagation delays

Complex systems that synchronize with acoustic signals, like chanting crowds and musical ensembles, have the intrinsic ability to maintain synchrony without external aid or visual cues, even when spread over wide areas. According to two models, the counterintuitive self-synchronization happens when the system's components have a spatial distribution that is sufficiently uniform. The roles of system size and density are examined for arrangements in 1, 2 and 3 dimensions. Asynchrony is predicted to become vanishingly small at high densities, and results suggest ways on how to minimize asynchrony in real-world situations.