EXPERIMENTAL-EVIDENCE OF LOCALLY INTERMINGLED BASINS OF ATTRACTION INCOUPLED CHUAS CIRCUITS

We show experimentally that two coupled chaotic systems initially oper ating on two different simultaneously co-existing attractors can be sy nchronized. Synchronization is achieved as one of the systems switches its evolution to the attractor of the other one. The final attractor of the synchronized state strongly depends on the actual position of t rajectories on their attractors at the moment when coupling is introdu ced. Coupling introduced in such systems can lead to the locally inter mingled basins of attraction of coexisting attractors. Even if the ini tial location of trajectories on attractors A(1) and A(2) is known wit h infinite precision, we are unable to determine, on the basis of any finite calculation, in which basin this location lies and finally we c annot be sure on which attractor the evolution will synchronize. We in vestigate this uncertainty in chaos synchronization in numerical and e xperimental studies of two coupled Chua's circuits. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.