Identical phase oscillators on a ring with nonlocal coupling spontaneously split into synchronized and incoherent domains — the chimera state, coexisting order and chaos.
Kuramoto & Battogtokh (2002) discovered that identical oscillators with nonlocal coupling θ̇ᵢ = ω − (1/2R)∑ sin(θᵢ−θⱼ+α) can develop coexisting coherent and incoherent domains. Abrams & Strogatz (2004) named them "chimera states" after the mythological beast. Top: phase map. Bottom: local order parameter |Z|.