NEW CLASS-I INTERMITTENCY IN THE DYNAMICS OF PERIODICALLY FORCED SPHEROIDS IN SIMPLE SHEAR-FLOW

We report a physically realisable system in which the possibility of a n interesting and novel type of Class I intermittency is demonstrated. Price and Mullin [Physica D 48 (1991) 29] have observed experimentall y a similar type of phenomenon in which a hysteretic form of intermitt ency with extreme regularity of the bursting is observed. The system d escribed in this work appears to be one of the very few ODE systems de scribing a physically realisable system showing a nonhysteretic form o f Class I intermittency with nearly regular reinjection period. The re gularity of the bursting is unaffected by variation in the control par ameter. The maximum Lyapunov exponents of the bursts and laminar phase are estimated separately and indicate existence of chaos. The length of the laminar phase shows scaling behaviour typical of Class I interm ittency near the tangent bifurcation and also shows new scaling behavi our. Return maps of the dynamical system are presented to explain the behaviour observed.