Transients versus network interactions give rise to multistability through trapping mechanism

In networked systems, the interplay between the dynamics of individual subsystems and their network interactions has been found to generate multistability in various contexts. Despite its ubiquity, the specific mechanisms and ingredients that give rise to multistability from such interplay remain poorly understood. In a network of coupled excitable units, we demonstrate that this interplay generating multistability occurs through a competition between the units' transient dynamics and their coupling. Specifically, the diffusive coupling between the units reinjects them into the excitability region of their individual state space, effectively trapping them there. We show that this trapping mechanism leads to the coexistence of multiple types of oscillations: periodic, quasi-periodic, and even chaotic, although the units separately do not oscillate. Interestingly, we find that the attractors emerge through different types of bifurcations-in particular, the periodic attractors emerge through either saddle-node of limit cycles bifurcations or homoclinic bifurcations-but in all cases, the reinjection mechanism is present.

Chaotic control and synchronization for system identification

Research into applications of synchronized chaotic systems assumes that it will be necessary to build many different drive-response pairs, but little is known in general about designing higher dimensional chaotic flows. In this paper, I do not add any design techniques, but I show that it is possible to create multiple drive-response pairs from one chaotic system by applying chaos control techniques to the drive and response systems. If one can design one chaotic system with the desired properties, then many drive-response pairs can be built from this system, so that it is not necessary to solve the design problem more than once. I show both numerical simulations and experimental work with chaotic circuits. I also test the response systems for ability to overcome noise or other interference.

Fundamentals of synchronization in chaotic systems, concepts, and applications

The field of chaotic synchronization has grown considerably since its advent in 1990. Several subdisciplines and "cottage industries" have emerged that have taken on bona fide lives of their own. Our purpose in this paper is to collect results from these various areas in a review article format with a tutorial emphasis. Fundamentals of chaotic synchronization are reviewed first with emphases on the geometry of synchronization and stability criteria. Several widely used coupling configurations are examined and, when available, experimental demonstrations of their success (generally with chaotic circuit systems) are described. Particular focus is given to the recent notion of synchronous substitution-a method to synchronize chaotic systems using a larger class of scalar chaotic coupling signals than previously thought possible. Connections between this technique and well-known control theory results are also outlined. Extensions of the technique are presented that allow so-called hyperchaotic systems (systems with more than one positive Lyapunov exponent) to be synchronized. Several proposals for "secure" communication schemes have been advanced; major ones are reviewed and their strengths and weaknesses are touched upon. Arrays of coupled chaotic systems have received a great deal of attention lately and have spawned a host of interesting and, in some cases, counterintuitive phenomena including bursting above synchronization thresholds, destabilizing transitions as coupling increases (short-wavelength bifurcations), and riddled basins. In addition, a general mathematical framework for analyzing the stability of arrays with arbitrary coupling configurations is outlined. Finally, the topic of generalized synchronization is discussed, along with data analysis techniques that can be used to decide whether two systems satisfy the mathematical requirements of generalized synchronization. (c) 1997 American Institute of Physics.