FROM CHAOS TO ORDER - PERSPECTIVES AND METHODOLOGIES IN CONTROLLING CHAOTIC NONLINEAR DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS

Controlling (or ordering) chaos is a new concept, which has recently drawn much attention from the communities of engineering, physics, chemistry, biomedical sciences and mathematics. This paper offers an overview of the different interpretations and approaches in the investigation of controlling chaos for various nonlinear dynamical systems. Relevant historical background is provided, several successful techniques are described and analyzed with necessary verifications, and some realistic yet instructive examples are included. The paper also aims at promoting more efforts to be devoted to this challenging and promising new direction of research, as well as its potential applications in nonlinear systems science and engineering.