The cellular automata inside optical chimera states

Cellular automata are conceptual discrete dynamical systems useful in the theory of information. The spa-tiotemporal patterns that they produce are intimately related to computational mechanics in distributed complex systems. Here, we investigate their physical implementation in the framework of chimera states in which coherent and incoherent behavior coexist. Hence, chimera states were subject to quantitative and qualitative analyzes borrowing the same tools used to characterize cellular automata. Our results reveal the existence of cellular automata-type dynamics submerged in the dynamics exhibited by our optical chimera states. Thus, they share a panoply of attributes in terms of computational abilities. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Cellular automata are useful in information theory and their patterns are closely related to computational mechanics in distributed complex systems. Investigating their physical implementation in the framework of chimera states reveals the existence of cellular automata-type dynamics in optical chimera states. These two systems share a variety of attributes in terms of computational abilities.