Higher-order interactions induce chimera states in globally coupled oscillators

We show that globally coupled phase oscillators inherently possess a phase frustration when four-body interactions are considered. This intrinsic frustration arises when oscillators have asymmetric distributions of initial conditions spanning across multiple fixed points. Moreover, when the frequency distribution is bimodal, the two groups of oscillators may evolve toward distinct macroscopic dynamical behaviors, with one group being synchronized and the other remaining asynchronous. This constitutes a mechanism for the emergence of chimera states, and one that is specifically characteristic of higher-order interactions.