CONTROL OF NOISY HETEROCLINIC CYCLES

We develop a control strategy for strongly nonlinear dynamical systems possessing heteroclinic cycles connecting saddle points and subject t o small random perturbations. In the absence of control, attracting cy cles lead to solutions which exhibit intermittent behavior consisting of quiescent periods interrupted by rapid ''bursts''. We show that sui table feedback control can retain solutions near the saddle points and hence reduce the typical bursting rate. The model studied and the for m of control are motivated by our interest in reducing turbulence prod uction in the boundary layer.