Chaotic resonance is a phenomenon that can replace the fluctuation source in stochastic resonance from additive noise to chaos. We previously developed a method to control the chaotic state for suitably generating chaotic resonance by external feedback even when the external adjustment of chaos is difficult, establishing a method named reduced region of orbit (RRO) feedback. However, a feedback signal was utilized only for dividing the merged attractor. In addition, the signal sensitivity in chaotic resonance induced by feedback signals and that of stochastic resonance by additive noise have not been compared. To merge the separated attractor, we propose a negative strength of the RRO feedback signal in a discrete neural system which is composed of excitatory and inhibitory neurons. We evaluate the features of chaotic resonance and compare it to stochastic resonance. The RRO feedback signal with negative strength can merge the separated attractor and induce chaotic resonance. We also confirm that additive noise induces stochastic resonance through attractor merging. The comparison of these resonance modalities verifies that chaotic resonance provides more applicability than stochastic resonance given its capability to handle attractor separation and merging.

Stochastic resonance is a phenomenon in which the signal response of a non-linear system is enhanced by appropriate external noise. Likewise, a similar phenomenon can be caused by deterministic chaos; this is called chaotic resonance. Devices that employ stochastic resonance have been proposed for the purpose of enhancing tactile sensitivity. However, no applications of chaotic resonance have been reported so far, even though chaotic resonance exhibits a higher sensitivity than stochastic resonance. This contrast in applications could be attributed to the fact that chaotic resonance is induced by adjusting internal parameters. In many cases, especially in biological systems, these parameters are difficult to adjust. In this study, by applying our proposed reduced region of orbit method to a neural system consisting of excitatory and inhibitory neurons, we induce chaotic resonance with signal frequency dependency against weak input signals. Furthermore, the external noise exhibits effects for both diminishing and enhancing signal responses in chaotic resonance. The outcome of this study might facilitate the development of devices utilising the mechanism of chaotic resonance.

Fluctuations in nonlinear systems can enhance the synchronization with weak input signals. These nonlinear synchronization phenomena are classified as stochastic resonance and chaotic resonance. Many applications of stochastic resonance have been realized, utilizing its enhancing effect for the signal sensitivity. However, although some studies showed that the sensitivity of chaotic resonance is higher than that of stochastic resonance, only few studies have investigated the engineering application of chaotic resonance. A possible reason is that, in chaotic resonance, the chaotic state must be adjusted through internal parameters to reach the state that allows resonance. In many cases and especially in biological systems, such adjustments are difficult to perform externally. To overcome this difficulty, we developed a method to control the chaotic state for an appropriate state of chaotic resonance by using an external feedback signal. The method is called reducing the range of orbit (RRO) feedback method. Previously, we have developed the RRO feedback method for discrete chaotic systems. However, for applying the RRO feedback method to actual chaotic systems including biological systems, development of the RRO feedback signals in continuous chaotic systems must be considered. Therefore, in this study, we extended the RRO feedback method to continuous chaotic systems by focusing on the map function on the Poincaré section. We applied the extended RRO feedback method to Chua's circuit as a continuous chaotic system. The results confirmed that the RRO feedback signal can induce chaotic resonance. This study is the first to report the application of RRO feedback to a continuous chaotic system. The results of this study will facilitate further device development based on chaotic resonance.

Stochastic resonance is a phenomenon in which the signal response of non-linear systems is enhanced by additive stochastic noise. Chaos also causes a stochastic resonance-like phenomenon called chaotic resonance. In this study, we proposed utilizing the negative strength of a reduced region of orbit (RRO) feedback signal to control chaotic resonance. This RRO feedback signal was applied to a discrete cubic map. The results confirmed that it has the effect of merging the separated attractor and inducing chaotic resonance. As an alternative approach to attractor merging, Gaussian white noise was applied to the cubic map. In this case, the results showed that the added noise induces stochastic resonance through attractor merging; however, its ability in this respect is less than that of chaotic resonance.