Ageing of an oscillator due to frequency switching

Abstract: If an oscillator is driven by a force that switches between two frequencies, the dynamics it exhibits depends on the precise manner of switching. Here we take a one-dimensional oscillator and consider scenarios in which switching occurs: (i) between two driving forces which have different frequencies, or (ii) as a single forcing whose frequency switches between two values. The difference is subtle, but entirely changes the long term behaviour, and concerns whether the switch can be expressed linearly or nonlinearly in terms of a discontinuous quantity (such as a sign or Heaviside step function that represents the switch between frequencies). In scenario (i) the oscillator has a stable periodic orbit, and the system can be described as a Filippov system. In scenario (ii) the oscillator exhibits hidden dynamics, which lies outside the theory of Filippov's systems, and causes the system to be increasingly (as time passes) dominated by sliding along the frequency-switching threshold, and in particular if periodic orbits do exist, they too exhibit sliding. We show that the behaviour persists, at least asymptotically, if the systems are regularized (i.e. if the switch is modelled as a smooth transition in the manner of (i) or (ii)).