Synchronization of a Passive Oscillator and a Liquid Crystal Elastomer Self-Oscillator Powered by Steady Illumination

Self-oscillators have the advantages of actively harvesting energy from external steady environment, autonomy, and portability, and can be adopted as an engine to drive additional working equipment. The synchronous behavior of self-oscillators and passive oscillators may have an important impact on their functions. In this paper, we construct a self-oscillating system composed of a passive oscillator and an active liquid crystal elastomer self-oscillator powered by steady illumination, and theoretically investigate the synchronization of two coupled oscillators. There exist three synchronous regimes of the two coupled oscillators: static, in-phase, and anti-phase. The mechanisms of self-oscillations in in-phase and anti-phase synchronous regimes are elucidated in detail by calculating several key physical parameters. In addition, the effects of spring constant, initial velocity, contraction coefficient, light intensity, and damping coefficient on the self-oscillations of two coupled oscillators are further investigated, and the critical conditions for triggering self-oscillations are obtained. Numerical calculations show that the synchronous regime of self-oscillations is mainly determined by the spring constant, and the amplitudes of self-oscillations of two oscillators increase with increasing contraction coefficient, light intensity, and spring constant, while decrease with increasing damping coefficient. This study deepens the understanding of synchronization between coupled oscillators and may provide new design ideas for energy harvesters, soft robotics, signal detection, active motors, and self-sustained machinery.