Chimera order in spin systems

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that chimera states, characterized by coexistence of order and disorder, can occur in simple physical systems like Ising spins, with potential experimental observation in layered magnetic materials.

Contribution

It analytically and numerically shows the emergence of chimera order in spin systems, extending the concept beyond oscillator populations to magnetic models.

Findings

Chimera states can exist in Ising spin systems at thermal equilibrium.

Numerical evidence of chimera ordering in 3D layered magnetic models.

Potential for experimental detection of chimera states in magnetic materials.

Abstract

Homogeneous populations of oscillators have recently been shown to exhibit stable coexistence of coherent and incoherent regions. Generalizing the concept of chimera states to the context of order-disorder transition in systems at thermal equilibrium, we show analytically that such complex ordering can appear in a system of Ising spins, possibly the simplest physical system exhibiting this phenomenon. We also show numerically the existence of chimera ordering in 3-dimensional spin systems that model layered magnetic materials, suggesting possible means of experimentally observing such states.