Driven, autoresonant three-oscillator interactions.

An efficient control scheme of resonant three-oscillator interactions using an external chirped frequency drive is suggested. The approach is based on formation of a double phase-locked (autoresonant) state in the system, as the driving oscillation passes linear resonance with one of the interacting oscillators. When doubly phase locked, the amplitudes of the oscillators increase with time in proportion to the driving frequency deviation from the linear resonance. The stability of this phase-locked state and the effects of dissipation and of the initial three-oscillator frequency mismatch on the autoresonance are analyzed. The associated autoresonance threshold phenomenon in the driving amplitude is also discussed. In contrast to other nonlinear systems, driven, autoresonant three-oscillator excitations are independent of the sign of the driving frequency chirp rate.