Strange Nonchaotic Attractor in an Unforced Turbulent Reactive Flow System

TL;DR

This paper reports the experimental discovery of a strange nonchaotic attractor in an unforced turbulent reactive flow system, highlighting novel dynamical behavior without external forcing.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental evidence of SNA in an unforced turbulent reactive flow, expanding understanding of complex system dynamics.

Findings

SNA observed prior to periodic oscillations

SNA occurs without external forcing

Experimental validation of SNA in turbulent flow

Abstract

We discover strange nonchaotic attractor (SNA) through experiments in an unforced system comprising turbulent reactive flow. While models suggest SNAs are common in dynamical systems, experimental observations are primarily limited to systems with external forcing. We observe SNA prior to the emergence of periodic oscillations from chaotic fluctuations. In complex systems, self-organization can lead to order, and inherent nonlinearity can induce chaos. The occurrence of SNA, which is nonchaotic yet nonperiodic in one such complex system, is intriguing.