In this paper, we study emergent behaviors elicited by applying open-l
oop, high-frequency oscillatory forcing to nonlinear control systems.
First, we study hovering motions, which are periodic orbits associated
with stable fixed points of the averaged system which are not fixed p
oints of the forced system. We use the method of successive approximat
ions to establish the existence of hovering motions, as well as comput
e analytical approximations of their locations, for the cart and pendu
lum on an inclined plane. Moreover, when small-amplitude dissipation i
s added, we show that the hovering motions are asymptotically stable.
We compare the results for all of the local analysis with results of s
imulating Poincare maps. Second, we perform a complete global analysis
on this cart and pendulum system. Toward this end, the same iteration
scheme we use to establish the existence of the hovering periodic orb
its also yields the existence of periodic orbits near saddle equilibri
a of the averaged system. These latter periodic orbits are shown to be
saddle periodic orbits, and in turn they have stable and unstable man
ifolds that form homoclinic tangles. A quantitative global analysis of
these tangles is carried out. Three distinguished limiting cases are
analyzed. Melnikov theory is applied in one case, and an extension of
a recent result about exponentially small splitting of separatrices is
developed and applied in another case. Finally, the influence of smal
l damping is studied. This global analysis is useful in the design of
open-loop control laws.