Protected Chaos in a Topological Lattice

The erratic nature of chaotic behavior is thought to erode the stability of periodic behavior, including topological oscillations. However, it is discovered that in the presence of chaos, non-trivial topology not only endures but also provides robust protection to chaotic dynamics within a topological lattice hosting non-linear oscillators. Despite the difficulty in defining topological invariants in non-linear settings, non-trivial topological robustness still persists in the parametric state of chaotic boundary oscillations. This interplay between chaos and topology is demonstrated by incorporating chaotic Chua's circuits into a topological Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) circuit. By extrapolating from the linear limit to deep into the non-linear regime, it is found that distinctive correlations in the bulk and edge scroll dynamics effectively capture the topological origin of the protected chaos. The findings suggest that topologically protected chaos can be robustly achieved across a broad spectrum of periodically driven systems, thereby offering new avenues for the design of resilient and adaptable non-linear networks.