Self-organized alternating chimera states in oscillatory media

TL;DR

This paper investigates self-organized alternating chimera states in oscillatory media, revealing how nonlinear global coupling and the interplay of local and global interactions lead to spontaneous phase alternations.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of self-organized alternating chimeras arising from nonlinear global coupling in oscillatory media, a novel phenomenon not previously documented.

Findings

Alternating chimera states emerge spontaneously in the system.

Nonlinear global coupling facilitates the formation of these states.

Interplay of local and global couplings is crucial for their emergence.

Abstract

Oscillatory media can exhibit the coexistence of synchronized and desynchronized regions, so-called chimera states, for uniform parameters and symmetrical coupling. In a phase-balanced chimera state, where the totals of synchronized and desynchronized regions, respectively, are of the same size, the symmetry of the system predicts that interchanging both phases still gives a solution to the underlying equations. We observe this kind of interchange as a self-emerging phenomenon in an oscillatory medium with nonlinear global coupling. An interplay between local and global couplings renders the formation of these alternating chimeras possible.