Transition from spatial coherence to incoherence in coupled chaotic systems

We investigate the spatio-temporal dynamics of coupled chaotic systems with nonlocal interactions, where each element is coupled to its nearest neighbors within a finite range. Depending upon the coupling strength and coupling radius, we find characteristic spatial patterns such as wavelike profiles and study the transition from coherence to incoherence leading to spatial chaos. We analyze the origin of this transition based on numerical simulations and support the results by theoretical derivations, identifying a critical coupling strength and a scaling relation of the coherent profiles. To demonstrate the universality of our findings, we consider time-discrete as well as time-continuous chaotic models realized as a logistic map and a Rössler or Lorenz system, respectively. Thereby, we establish the coherence-incoherence transition in networks of coupled identical oscillators.