Chemical Chaos — Rössler Attractor

Otto Rössler 1976 — simplest autonomous 3D chaotic flow, prototype of funnel chaos

Rössler Parameters

The Rössler system:

ẋ = −y − z
ẏ = x + ay
ż = b + z(x−c)

models a chemical oscillator. At c≈5.7 it undergoes period-doubling to chaos via the Feigenbaum route. The attractor has a funnel shape: the trajectory spirals out in the xy-plane, then is reset by the z-spike.

Lyapunov exponent λ₁ ≈ 0.07 at standard params — weak but genuine chaos.

Lyapunov λ₁>0
Period-doubling