Topological Defects in Spiral Wave Chimera States (2511.21058v1)

Abstract: Chimera states, where coherent and incoherent domains coexist, represent a key self-organization phenomenon in the study of synchronization in complex systems. We introduce a topological analysis method based on winding numbers to characterize the dynamics of spiral wave chimeras in a two-dimensional phase oscillator network. Our investigation reveals distinct scaling laws governing the system's evolution across the phase lag $α$. Perturbation analysis in the limit $α\to 0$ demonstrates that the incoherent core radius scales linearly with $α$. In contrast, within the stable chimera regime, the average total positive winding number $\overline{n_+}$ follows a clear exponential growth law $\overline{n_+} = ae^{bα}$. This divergence suggests a physical crossover from geometric core expansion to active topological excitation. Furthermore, we identify a statistical transition in the defect distribution from binomial-like to Poisson-like behavior at a critical threshold $α^*$, which we interpret as a shift from a constrained regime to an unconstrained state analogous to a BKT binding-unbinding transition. These results indicate that topological defects are not randomly distributed but possess quantifiable statistical order, proposing $\overline{n_+}$ as a robust physical quantity to analyze the topological structure and complexity of chimera states.