Connecting the Kuramoto Model and the Chimera State

Phys Rev Lett. 2017 Dec 29;119(26):264101. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.264101. Epub 2017 Dec 29.

Abstract

Since its discovery in 2002, the chimera state has frequently been described as a counterintuitive, puzzling phenomenon. The Kuramoto model, in contrast, has become a celebrated paradigm useful for understanding a range of phenomena related to phase transitions, synchronization, and network effects. Here we show that the chimera state can be understood as emerging naturally through a symmetry-breaking bifurcation from the Kuramoto model's partially synchronized state. Our analysis sheds light on recent observations of chimera states in laser arrays, chemical oscillators, and mechanical pendula.