  Synchronization of coupled oscillators is often described using the Kuramoto
model. Here we study a generalization of the Kuramoto model where oscillators
communicate with each other through an external medium. This generalized model
exhibits interesting new phenomena such as bistability between synchronization
and incoherence and a qualitatively new form of synchronization where the
external medium exhibits small-amplitude oscillations. We conclude by
discussing the relationship of the model to other variations of the Kuramoto
model including the Kuramoto model with a bimodal frequency distribution and
the Millennium Bridge problem.
