Synchronization and Imposed Bifurcations in the Presence of Large Parameter Mismatch

Using experimental and numerical systems, we show that it is possible to maintain excellent synchronization between a drive and a response system even when there is a large (50%) parameter mismatch between them, and they are coupled only through a scalar signal. By optimizing the coupling consistent with a stability constraint, we show that a consequence of the optimized coupling is that the synchronization is maintained even in the presence of bifurcations in the drive system, despite the condition that the response parameters are held constant.