Slow and fast topological dynamical phase transitions in a Duffing resonator driven by two detuned tones

Nonlinear dynamics are studied in diverse fields as climate models, avalanches, nanomechanical sensors, optical frequency converters, and electrical quantum amplifiers. A widely studied nonlinear model is the so-called Duffing (or Kerr) resonator, which features a quartic potential term. Two hallmark properties of this model are (i) a shift of a system's resonance frequency as a function of the driving strength, and (ii) monostable or bistable responses, depending on the drive strength and detuning from resonance. Together, these two properties can lead to dynamical phase transitions when several drives are applied simultaneously. Here, we report an experimental and theoretical study of a driven-dissipative nonlinear system with two detuned drives. We observe distinct response regimes characterized by the system's ability to follow the system's time-dependent vector-flow topology. Our work provides an example for understanding dynamical phase transitions in out-of-equilibrium nonlinear systems.