  The defining property of chimera states is the coexistence of coherent and
incoherent domains in systems that are structurally and spatially homogeneous.
The recent realization that such states might be common in oscillator networks
raises the question of whether an analogous phenomenon can occur in continuous
media. Here, we show that chimera states can exist in continuous systems even
when the coupling is strictly local, as in many fluid and pattern forming
media. Using the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation as a model system, we
characterize chimera states consisting of a coherent domain of a frozen spiral
structure and an incoherent domain of amplitude turbulence. We show that in
this case, in contrast with discrete network systems, fluctuations in the local
coupling field play a crucial role in limiting the coherent regions. We suggest
these findings shed light on new possible forms of coexisting order and
disorder in fluid systems.
