Forcing, Coupling and Feedback of Chaotic Electrochemical Oscillators

Experiments on the dynamic behavior of nickel electrodes in sulfuric acid are discussed. We first describe the effect of periodic forcing of a single chaotic oscillator and show the occurrence of phase synchronization and suppression of chaos through intermittency. The collective dynamics of arrays of chaotic oscillators are then considered. The applications of global coupling, of periodic forcing, and of feedback to the array are discussed and the effects of the three are compared. Synchronization and both intermittent and stable chaotic cluster configurations are seen in all three cases; other details differ, however. The feedback and periodic forcing produce configurations of more than two stable periodic clusters; up to four clusters occur with forcing.