Canards in a Surface Oxidation Reaction

Summary. Canards are periodic orbits for which the trajectory follows both the attracting and repelling parts of a slow manifold. They are associated with a dramatic change in the amplitude and period of a periodic orbit within a very narrow interval of a control parameter. It is shown numerically that canards occur in an appropriate parameter range in two- and three-dimensional models of the platinum-catalyzed oxidation of carbon monoxide. By smoothly connecting associated stable and unstable manifolds in an asymptotic limit, we predict parameter values at which such canards exist. The relationship between the canards and saddle-loop bifurcations for these models is also demonstrated. Excellent agreement is found between the numerical and analytical results.     

Multiple Timescales, Mixed Mode Oscillations and Canards in Models of Intracellular Calcium Dynamics

A range of representative models of intracellular calcium dynamics are surveyed, with the aim of determining which model characteristics are qualitatively unchanged by changes to details of the model components. Techniques from geometric singular perturbation theory are used to investigate the role of separation of timescales in determining model dynamics, with particular emphasis on identifying parameter regimes in which mixed mode oscillations are present as a result of the separation of timescales. We find that the number of distinct timescales and the number of variables evolving on each timescale varies between models and depends on both the model assumptions and on the parameter regime of interest within the model, but in all cases, the presence of canards and associated mixed mode oscillations provides a mechanism by which the models can robustly exhibit complex oscillations, with the frequency of oscillation depending sensitively on parameter values. We find that analysis of the number and nature of the distinct timescales in a model allows us to make useful predictions about the dynamics associated with the model, and that this may give us more information about the model dynamics than a classification according to the modelling assumptions made about different cellular mechanisms in deriving the models.     

Nonautonomous dynamics of coupled van der Pol oscillators in the regime of amplitude death

A pulse driven system of two coupled van der Pol oscillators in the regime of amplitude death is studied. The existence of islands of quasiperiodic regimes on the parameter plane of period and amplitude of the external force is shown in numerical and electronic experiments. A number of different types of oscillations in this system are illustrated.     

Random Perturbations of Canards

We consider the effect of random perturbations on canards. We find the appropriate size of the random perturbations to produce a random selection of a regular duck versus a headless duck. The appropriate limit theorem, in the appropriate topology, is proved. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. 0305925 and 0604249. The author would also like to thank Professor Jeff Moehlis of the Department of Mechanical and Environmental Engineering at UC Santa Barbara for a number of useful discussions about canards.     

Limit Cycle-Strange Attractor Competition

To understand the competition between what are known as limit cycle and strange attractor dynamics, the classical oscillators that display such features were coupled and studied with and without external forcing. Numerical simulations show that, when the Duffing equation (the strange attractor prototype) forces the van der Pol oscillator (the limit cycle prototype), the limit cycle is destroyed. However, when the van der Pol oscillator is coupled to the Duffing equation as linear forcing, the two traditionally stable steady states are destabilized and a quasi-periodic orbit is born. In turn, this limit cycle is eventually destroyed because the coupling strength is increased and eventually gives way to strange attractor or chaotic dynamics. When two van der Pol oscillators are coupled in the absence of external periodic forcing, the system approaches a stable, nonzero steady state when the coupling strengths are both unity; trajectories approach a limit cycle if coupling strengths are equal and less than 1. Solutions grow unbounded if the coupling strengths are equal and greater than 1. Quasi-periodic solutions give way to chaos as the coupling strength increases and one oscillator is strongly coupled to the other. Finally, increasing the nonlinearity in both the oscillators is stabilizing whereas increasing the nonlinearity in a single oscillator results in subcritical instability.     

Stochastic Hopf bifurcation and chaos of stochastic Bonhoeffer–van der Pol system via Chebyshev polynomial approximation

In this paper, we analyzed stochastic chaos and Hopf bifurcation of stochastic Bonhoeffer–van der Pol (SBVP for short) system with bounded random parameter of an arch-like probability density function. The modifier ‘stochastic’ here implies dependent on some random parameter. In order to study the dynamical behavior of the SBVP system, Chebyshev polynomial approximation is applied to transform the SBVP system into its equivalent deterministic system, whose response can be readily obtained by conventional numerical methods. Thus, we can further explore the nonlinear phenomena in SBVP system. Stochastic chaos and Hopf bifurcation analyzed here are by and large similar to those in the deterministic mean-parameter Bonhoeffer–van der Pol system (DM–BVP for short) but there are also some featuring differences between them shown by numerical results. For example, in the SBVP system the parameter interval matching chaotic responses diffuses into a wider one, which further grows wider with increasing of intensity of the random variable. The shapes of limit cycles in the SBVP system are some different from that in the DM–BVP system, and the sizes of limit cycles become smaller with the increasing of intensity of the random variable. And some biological explanations are given.     

Stable torus and its bifurcation phenomena in a simple three-dimensional autonomous circuit

It is well known that a stable torus is observed as a result after the system meets the super-critical Neimark–Sacker bifurcation for a limit cycle. Although tori are easily observed in two-dimensional and periodically forced dynamical systems, there is a few papers about stable tori in three-dimensional autonomous systems. Besides, as physical circuit implementations, such circuits contain very special active elements, or have difficulty in realizing. In this paper, we show a very simple circuit of three-dimensional autonomous system, an extended Bonhöffer–van der Pol (BVP) oscillator, which is demonstrating a stable torus.Firstly we explain a discovery of the torus in a computer simulation of the model equation. To implement it as a circuitry, we design a new nonlinear resistor. Although this contains an FET and an op-amp, it is simpler than any other nonlinear resistors proposed in previous papers. We confirm that this BVP oscillator can generate a stable torus in a real circuitry. We thoroughly investigate the bifurcation phenomena of various limit cycles and tori in this circuit, i.e., a super-critical Neimark–Sacker and tangent bifurcations of limit cycles are concretely obtained, furthermore, phase locking and chaos regions are clarified in a bifurcation diagram.     

One‐parametric families of canard cycles: two explicitly solvable examples

Systems of singularly perturbed autonomous ordinary differential equations possessing in a parameter plane two intersecting bifurcation curves connected with the generation of limit cycles with large and small amplitude respectively, have a special class of limit cycles called canards or french ducks describing an exponentially fast transition from a small amplitude limit cycle to limit cycle with a large amplitude. We present two explicitly integrable examples of non‐autonomous singularly perturbed di.erential equations with canard cycles without a second parameter.     

Existence of limit cycles for coupled van der Pol equations

In this paper, we consider the existence of limit cycles of coupled van der Pol equations by using S¹-degree theory due to Dylawerski et al. (see Ann. Polon. Math. 62 (1991) 243).     

Canard cycle transition at a slow–fast passage through a jump point

We introduce transitory canard cycles for slow–fast vector fields in the plane. Such cycles separate “canards without head” and “canards with head”, like for example in the Van der Pol equation. We obtain optimal upper bounds on the number of periodic orbits that can appear near the cycle under whatever condition on the related slow divergence integral I  , including the challenging case I=0$I=0$.     

Resonant Wave Interaction with Random Forcing and Dissipation

A new model for studying energy transfer is introduced. It consists of a "resonant duo"—a resonant quartet where extra symmetries support a reduced subsystem with only two degrees of freedom—where one mode is forced by white noise and the other is damped. This system has a single free parameter: the quotient of the damping coefficient to the amplitude of the forcing times the square root of the strength of the nonlinearity. As this parameter varies, a transition takes place from a Gaussian, high-temperature, near equilibrium regime, to one highly intermittent and non-Gaussian. Both regimes can be understood in terms of appropriate Fokker–Planck equations.     

Generating the periodic solutions for forcing van der Pol oscillators by the Iteration Perturbation method

In this paper, the iteration perturbation method proposed by He [J.H. He, Non-perturbative methods for strongly nonlinear problems, Dissertation. de-Verlag im Internet GmbH, 2006; J.H. He, Limit cycle and bifurcation of nonlinear problems, Chaos Solitons Fractals 26 (2005) 827–833] is used to generate periodic solutions of van der Pol oscillator with a forcing term, forcing oscillator with quadratic type damping and van der Pol oscillator with excitation term. The comparison of the obtained results verifies its convenience and effectiveness.     

Models and numerical schemes for generalized van der Pol equations

This paper presents three generalizations of the van der Pol equation (VDPE) using newly proposed three new generalized K-, A- and B-operators. These operators allow kernel to be arbitrary. As a result, these operators provide a greater generalization of the VDPE than the fractional integral and differential operators do. Like the original VDPE, the generalized van der Pol equations (GVDPEs) are also nonlinear equations, and in most cases, they can not be solved analytically. Numerical algorithms are presented and used to solve the GVDPEs. Results for several examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the numerical algorithms, and to examine the behavior of the GVDPEs and the limit cycles associated with them. Although the numerical algorithms have been used to solve the GVDPEs only, they can also be used to solve many other generalized oscillators and generalized differential equations. This will be considered in the future.     

Hopf bifurcation at infinity in 3D symmetric piecewise linear systems. Application to a Bonhoeffer–van der Pol oscillator

In this work, a Hopf bifurcation at infinity in three-dimensional symmetric continuous piecewise linear systems with three zones is analyzed. By adapting the so-called closing equations method, which constitutes a suitable technique to detect limit cycles bifurcation in piecewise linear systems, we give for the first time a complete characterization of the existence and stability of the limit cycle of large amplitude that bifurcates from the point at infinity. Analytical expressions for the period and amplitude of the bifurcating limit cycles are obtained. As an application of these results, we study the appearance of a large amplitude limit cycle in a Bonhoeffer–van der Pol oscillator.     

Period-doubling bifurcation in an extended van der Pol system with bounded random parameter

An extended van der Pol system with bounded random parameter subjected to harmonic excitation is investigated by Chebyshev polynomial approximation. Firstly the stochastic extended van der Pol system is reduced into its equivalent deterministic one, solvable by suitable numerical methods. Then we explored nonlinear dynamical behavior about period-doubling bifurcation in stochastic system. Numerical simulations show that similar to the conventional period-doubling phenomenon in deterministic extended van der Pol system, stochastic period-doubling bifurcation may also occur in the stochastic extended van der Pol system. Besides, different from the deterministic case, in addition to the conventional bifurcation parameters, i.e. the amplitude and frequency of harmonic excitation, in the stochastic case the intensity of random parameter should also be taken as a new bifurcation parameter.     

Relaxation oscillations and canard solutions in singular systems on the plane

Under study are the relaxation oscillations and canard solutions in singularly perturbed systems of ordinary differential equations with one slow and one fast variable. The study is based on application of classical mathematics and elements of infinitesimal calculus. A condition is given under which the relaxation oscillation is considered as the limit position of a family of canards under the tendency to zero of the repelling part of the slow manifold to which some parts of the canard trajectories of the family are infinitesimally close.     

A simple autonomous quasiperiodic self-oscillator

In this note a simple example of an autonomous three-dimensional system is considered demonstrating quasiperiodic dynamics because of presence of two coexisting oscillatory components of independently controlling and, hence, generally incommensurate frequencies. Attractor in such a regime is a two-dimensional torus. Numerical illustrations of the stable quasiperiodic motions are presented. Some essential features of the dynamical behavior are revealed; in particular, charts of dynamical regimes on parameter planes are considered and discussed.     

Principal Asymptotics in the Problem on the Andronov–Hopf Bifurcation and Their Applications

New formulas are obtained for the principal asymptotics of bifurcation solutions in the problem on the Andronov–Hopf bifurcation, leading to new algorithms for studying bifurcations in the general setting. The approach proposed in the paper allows one to consider not only the classical problems about bifurcations of codimension one but also some problems concerning bifurcations of codimension two. A new approach to the analysis of bifurcations of cycles in systems with homogeneous nonlinearities is proposed. As an application, we consider the problem on the bifurcation of periodic solutions of the van der Pol equation.     

On limit cycle approximations in the van der Pol oscillator

This paper applies bifurcation analysis to the well-known van der Pol oscillator to obtain approximations of its periodic solutions in the nearly sinusoidal regime. A frequency domain method based on harmonic balance approximations is used for small values of the bifurcation parameter. Moreover, a comparison with some other frequency domain approaches is also given. Finally, a total harmonic distortion is computed using the information provided by the frequency domain approach.