Coupling functions: Universal insights into dynamical interaction mechanisms

Dynamical systems in science with examples ranging from physics, chemistry, and biology up to population dynamics, communication, and climate are rarely isolated but generally interact with each other. One particular way of characterizing the interactions is to use coupling functions which possess the property of enabling one not only to understand but also to control and predict the underlying interaction dynamics. This article demonstrates the usefulness of coupling functions for studying the interaction mechanisms of dynamical systems in different research fields.