Synchronization of coupled oscillators exhibiting the coexistence of chaotic attractors is investigated, both numerically and experimentally. The route from the asynchronous motion to a completely synchronized state is characterized by the sequence of type-I and on-off intermittencies, intermittent phase synchronization, anticipated synchronization, and period-doubling phase synchronization.

We carried out an experimental study of the synchronization of two unidirectionally coupled Rössler-like electronic circuits with two coexisting chaotic attractors. Different stages of synchronization are identified on the route from asynchronous motion to complete synchronization, as the coupling parameter is increased: intermittent asynchronous jumps between coexisting attractors; intermittent anticipating phase synchronization; and generalized synchronization in the form of subharmonic entrainment terminated by complete synchronization. All these regimes are analysed with time-series, power spectra and phase-space plots of the drive and response oscillators. The experimental study implicitly confirms the results of numerical simulations.

We present the detailed study of synchronization of two unidirectionally coupled identical systems with coexisting chaotic attractors and analyze system dynamics observed on the route from asynchronous behavior to complete synchronization when the coupling strength is increased. We distinguish three stages of synchronization depending on the coupling strength which can be conventionally divided into three intervals. A relatively weak coupling induces asynchronous intermittent jumps between coexisting attractors and anticipating phase synchronization within windows where the systems stay in similar attractors; an intermediate coupling creates combined attractors that give rise to generalized synchronization in the form of subharmonic frequency entrainment; and a strong coupling results in complete synchronization. The results of numerical simulations are in good agreement with experiments carried out with piecewise-linear Rössler-like electronic circuits.