Due to time delays in signal transmission and processing, phase lags are inevitable in realistic complex oscillator networks. Conventional wisdom is that phase lags are detrimental to network synchronization. Here we show that judiciously chosen phase lag modulations can result in significantly enhanced network synchronization. We justify our strategy of phase modulation, demonstrate its power in facilitating and enhancing network synchronization with synthetic and empirical network models, and provide an analytic understanding of the underlying mechanism. Our work provides a new approach to synchronization optimization in complex networks, with insights into control of complex nonlinear networks.
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