Chimera States

Synchronized / Desynchronized Coexistence in Nonlocal Kuramoto
Phase field θ(x,t) — oscillator ring
Local order parameter R(x) = |⟨e^iθ⟩|_neighborhood
Space-time plot (x vs t)

Chimera States

A ring of N identical phase oscillators with nonlocal coupling:

θ̇k = ω + (K/P) Σ|k-j|≤R sin(θj−θk−α)

Despite all oscillators being identical, chimera states spontaneously break the symmetry: a synchronized cluster coexists with an incoherent one.

Discovered by Kuramoto & Battogtokh (2002), named by Abrams & Strogatz (2004).

Global R = —