Chimera Dynamics of Generalized Kuramoto-Sakaguchi Oscillators in Two-population Networks

TL;DR

This paper investigates chimera states in a generalized Kuramoto-Sakaguchi oscillator model extended to higher-dimensional spaces, revealing various dynamic regimes and bifurcations depending on coupling strength.

Contribution

It demonstrates the existence and transitions of chimera states in two-population networks of generalized oscillators in 2D complex and 4D real spaces, extending prior models.

Findings

Stationary and breathing chimeras observed at strong coupling.

Chimera states transition to aperiodic dynamics as coupling weakens.

Global bifurcations involve the loss of conserved quantities.

Abstract

Chimera dynamics is characterized by the coexistence of coherence and incoherence, arising from a symmetry-breaking mechanism. Extensive research has been performed in various systems, focusing on a system of Kuramoto-Sakaguchi (KS) phase oscillators. In recent developments, the system has been extended to the so-called generalized Kuramoto model, wherein an oscillator is situated on the surface of an M-dimensional unit sphere, rather than being confined to a unit circle. In this paper, we exploit the model introduced in New. J. Phys. 16, 023016 (2014) where the macroscopic dynamics of the system was studied using the extended Watanabe-Strogatz transformation both for real and complex spaces. Considering two-population networks of the generalized KS oscillators in 2D complex spaces, we demonstrate the existence of chimera states and elucidate different motions of the order parameter vectors depending on the strength of intra-population coupling. Similar to the KS model on the unit circle, stationary and breathing chimeras are observed for comparatively strong intra-population coupling. Here, the breathing chimera changes their motion upon decreasing intra-population coupling strength via a global bifurcation involving the completely incoherent state. Beyond that, the system exhibits periodic alternation of the two order parameters with weaker coupling strength. Moreover, we observe that the chimera state transitions into a componentwise aperiodic dynamics when the coupling strength weakens even further. The aperiodic chimera dynamics emerges due to the breaking of conserved quantities that are preserved in the stationary, breathing and alternating chimera states. We provide a detailed explanation of this scenario in both the thermodynamic limit and for finite-sized ensembles. Furthermore, we note that an ensemble in 4D real spaces demonstrates similar behavior.