Identical coupled oscillators where some synchronize and others remain chaotic — discovered 2002
Time: 0 |
Global order |R|: — |
Coherent fraction: —
Chimera states (Kuramoto & Battogtokh 2002, Abrams & Strogatz 2004):
Identical phase oscillators with nonlocal coupling dθᵢ/dt = ω − Σⱼ G(i−j) sin(θᵢ−θⱼ+α).
For phase lag α slightly less than π/2, spontaneous symmetry breaking produces a coherent (synchronized) cluster
alongside an incoherent (chaotic) background — a chimera. The synchronized region has a well-defined phase profile;
the incoherent region has rapidly fluctuating phases.