Chaos synchronization in generalized Lorenz systems and an application to image encryption

Abstract

Examples of synchronization, pervasive throughout the natural world, are often awe-inspiring because they tend to transcend our intuition. Synchronization in chaotic dynamical systems, of which the Lorenz system is a quintessential example, is even more surprising because the very defining features of chaos include sensitive dependence on initial conditions. It is worth pursuing, then, the question of whether high-dimensional extensions of such a system also exhibit synchronization. This study investigates synchronization in a set of high-dimensional generalizations of the Lorenz system obtained from the inclusion of additional Fourier modes. Numerical evidence supports that these systems exhibit self-synchronization. An example application of this phenomenon to image encryption is also provided. Numerical experiments also suggest that there is much more to synchronization in these generalized Lorenz systems than self-synchronization; while setting the dimension of the driver system higher than that of the receiver system does not result in perfect synchrony, the smaller the dimensional difference between the two, the more closely the receiver system tends to follow the driver, leading to self-synchronization when their dimensions are equal.