DESYNCHRONIZATION BY PERIODIC-ORBITS

Synchronous chaotic behavior is often interrupted by bursts of desynchronized behavior. We investigate the role of unstable periodic orbits in bursting events and show that they serve as sources of local transverse instability within a synchronous chaotic attractor. Analysis of bursts in both model and experimental studies of two coupled Rossler-like oscillators reveals the importance of unstable periodic orbits in bursting events.