  Previous research on nonlinear oscillator networks has shown that chaos
synchronization is attainable for identical oscillators but deteriorates in the
presence of parameter mismatches. Here, we identify regimes for which the
opposite occurs and show that oscillator heterogeneity can synchronize chaos
for conditions under which identical oscillators cannot. This effect is not
limited to small mismatches and is observed for random oscillator heterogeneity
on both homogeneous and heterogeneous network structures. The results are
demonstrated experimentally using networks of Chua's oscillators and are
further supported by numerical simulations and theoretical analysis. In
particular, we propose a general mechanism based on heterogeneity-induced mode
mixing that provides insights into the observed phenomenon. Since individual
differences are ubiquitous and often unavoidable in real systems, it follows
that such imperfections can be an unexpected source of synchronization
stability.
