Chimera states for directed networks

Abstract

We demonstrate that chimera behavior can be observed in ensembles of phase oscillators with unidirectional coupling. For a small network consisting of only three identical oscillators (cyclic triple), tiny {\it chimera islands} arise in the parameter space. They are surrounded by developed chaotic switching behavior caused by a collision of rotating waves propagating in opposite directions. For larger networks, as we show for hundred oscillators (cyclic century), the islands merge into a single {\it chimera continent} which incorporates the world of chimeras of different configuration. The phenomenon inherits from networks with intermediate ranges of the unidirectional coupling and it diminishes as it decreases.