Chaos in a linear wave equation

Abstract

A linear partial differential equation is shown to exhibit three properties often used to define chaotic dynamics. The system comprises a one-dimensional wave equation with gain that operates on a semi-infinite line. A boundary condition enforces that the waves remain finite. It is shown that the resulting solution set is dense with periodic orbits, contains transitive orbits, and exhibits extreme sensitivity to initial conditions. Definitions of chaos are considered in light of such linear chaos.