Self-amplifying synchronization in oscillator networks with state-dependent elastic coupling

Long-range synchronization of cardiomyocytes via purely elastic substrates is limited by the 1/r3 decay of mechanical interactions. Standard dipole models therefore predict only short-range phase coherence, leaving tissue-scale coordination unexplained. In this work, we introduce a state-dependent network model in which local phase coherence enhances contractile force through mechano-electric feedback. Numerical simulations on a 1D chain show that this feedback extends the spatial correlation length by roughly an order of magnitude, enabling coherence over distances far beyond nearest-neighbour coupling. The feedback also substantially widens the synchronizable stiffness window and produces initial-condition sensitivity absent in static coupling models. Finite-size analysis confirms that the coherence extension persists as system size increases. These results provide a physical mechanism for long-range synchronization in systems with short-range elastic interactions.