Constructing a chaotic system with any number of equilibria

Abstract

In the chaotic Lorenz system, Chen system and R\"ossler system, their equilibria are unstable and the number of the equilibria are no more than three. This paper shows how to construct some simple chaotic systems that can have any preassigned number of equilibria. First, a chaotic system with no equilibrium is presented and discussed. Then, a methodology is presented by adding symmetry to a new chaotic system with only one stable equilibrium, to show that chaotic systems with any preassigned number of equilibria can be generated. By adjusting the only parameter in these systems, one can further control the stability of their equilibria. This result reveals an intrinsic relationship of the global dynamical behaviors with the number and stability of the equilibria of a chaotic system.