Local and global bifurcations in three-dimensional, continuous, piecewise smooth maps

Abstract

In this work, we study the dynamics of a three-dimensional, continuous, piecewise smooth map. Much of the nontrivial dynamics of this map occur when its fixed point or periodic orbit hits the switching manifold resulting in the so-called border collision bifurcation. We study the local and global bifurcation phenomena resulting from such borderline collisions. The conditions for the occurrence of nonsmooth period-doubling, saddle-node, and Neimark-Sacker bifurcations are derived. We show that dangerous border collision bifurcation can also occur in this map. Global bifurcations arise in connection with the occurrence of nonsmooth Neimark-Sacker bifurcation by which a spiral attractor turns into a saddle focus. The global dynamics are systematically explored through the computation of resonance tongues and numerical continuation of mode-locked invariant circles. We demonstrate the transition to chaos through the breakdown of mode-locked torus by degenerate period-doubling bifurcation, homoclinic tangency, etc. We show that in this map a mode-locked torus can be transformed into a quasiperiodic torus if there is no global bifurcation.