Effect of Gaussian white noise on the dynamical behaviors of an extended Duffing-Van der Pol oscillator

The influence induced by random noise on dynamical behaviors is a classical yet challenging subject. This paper discusses the influence of Gaussian white noise on the dynamics of a self-excited triple well extended Duffing-Van der Pol oscillator already subjected to harmonic excitation. Firstly, the condition for the rise of hom/heteroclinic chaos is derived by random Melnikov's technique under its corresponding mean-square criterion and the result indicates that the threshold amplitude of harmonic excitation is lowered by the appearance of Gaussian white noise. Moreover, the threshold is decreased as the noise intensity increases. Since the Melnikov's criterion is only a necessary condition for the occurrence of chaotic motion, this prediction is tested against numerical simulations of the basins of attraction and the Lyapunov exponents. By vanishing the largest Lyapunov exponents, another criterion for the onset of chaos is obtained which is accorded with the theoretical one. Finally, how the noise effects the structure of periodic or chaotic attractor is investigated by simulating Poincare maps of the original system and rich transition states displayed by the considered extended Duffing-Van der Pol oscillator are observed.