  We study the dynamics of an array of nearest-neighbor coupled spatially
distributed systems each generating a periodic sequence of short pulses. We
demonstrate that unlike a solitary system generating a train of equidistant
pulses, an array of such systems can produce a sequence of clusters of closely
packed pulses, with the distance between individual pulses depending on the
coupling phase. This regime associated with the formation of locally coupled
pulse trains bounded due to a balance of attraction and repulsion between them
is different from the pulse bound states reported earlier in different laser,
plasma, chemical, and biological systems. We propose a simplified analytical
description of the observed phenomenon, which is in a good agreement with the
results of direct numerical simulations of a model system describing an array
of coupled mode-locked lasers.
