Engineered discreteness enables observation and control of chimera-like states in a system with local coupling

TL;DR

This paper reports the first experimental observation of chimera-like states in a locally coupled Kerr nonlinear optical resonator, demonstrating control over their properties through engineered discreteness and ultrafast imaging.

Contribution

It introduces a novel experimental platform for observing and controlling chimera-like states in systems with local coupling, expanding understanding of their emergence.

Findings

First experimental observation of chimera-like states with local coupling

Engineered discreteness enables control over chimera properties

Ultrafast imaging reveals internal structure of chimeras in real time

Abstract

Chimera states -- named after the mythical beast with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a dragon's tail -- correspond to spatiotemporal patterns characterised by the coexistence of coherent and incoherent domains in coupled systems. They were first identified in 2002 in theoretical studies of spatially extended networks of Stuart-Landau oscillators, and have been subject to extensive theoretical and experimental research ever since. While initially considered peculiar to networks with weak nonlocal coupling, recent theoretical studies have predicted that chimera-like states can emerge even in systems with purely local coupling. Here we report on the first experimental observations of chimera-like states in a system with local coupling -- a coherently-driven Kerr nonlinear optical resonator. We show that artificially engineered discreteness -- realised by suitably modulating the coherent driving field -- allows for the nonlinear localisation of spatiotemporal complexity, and we demonstrate unprecedented control over the existence, characteristics, and dynamics of the resulting chimera-like states. Moreover, using ultrafast time lens imaging, we resolve the chimeras' picosecond-scale internal structure in real time.