Chaotic

Mathematics

Biology

Computer science

Quantum mechanics

Attractor

Mesoscopic physics

Synchronization of chaos

Genetics

Statistical physics

Control (management)

Artificial intelligence

Lyapunov exponent

Oscillation (cell signaling)

Control theory (sociology)

Quantum

Mathematical analysis

Physics

Nonlinear system

Optomechanics

Nature Communications

Chaos has revolutionized the field of nonlinear science and stimulated foundational studies from neural networks, extreme event statistics, to physics of electron transport. Recent studies in cavity optomechanics provide a new platform to uncover quintessential architectures of chaos generation and the underlying physics. Here, we report the generation of dynamical chaos in silicon-based monolithic optomechanical oscillators, enabled by the strong and coupled nonlinearities of two-photon absorption induced Drude electron-hole plasma. Deterministic chaotic oscillation is achieved, and statistical and entropic characterization quantifies the chaos complexity at 60 fJ intracavity energies. The correlation dimension D2 is determined at 1.67 for the chaotic attractor, along with a maximal Lyapunov exponent rate of about 2.94 times the fundamental optomechanical oscillation for fast adjacent trajectory divergence. Nonlinear dynamical maps demonstrate the subharmonics, bifurcations and stable regimes, along with dis...

Mesoscopic chaos mediated by Drude electron-hole plasma in silicon optomechanical oscillators