Chimera states in pulse-coupled oscillator systems

An astonishing phenomenon in certain oscillator networks is the coexistence of synchrony and chaos, known as the chimera state, a term derived from a creature in Greek mythology that has body parts from different animals. This paper published in Physical Review E explores a model for pulse-coupled oscillators that produces chimera states, highlighting features like multi-headed formations. The main factor separating the oscillators into synchronized and non-synchronized groups is the occurrence of a deadlock.

By Arke Vogell, Udo Schilcher, Jorge Schmidt, and Christian Bettstetter (University of Klagenfurt)

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