Obstructions to shadowing when a Lyapunov exponent fluctuates about zero.

We study the existence or nonexistence of true trajectories of chaotic dynamical systems that lie close to computer-generated trajectories. The nonexistence of such shadowing trajectories is caused by finite-time Lyapunov exponents of the system fluctuating about zero. A dynamical mechanism of the unshadowability is explained through a theoretical model and identified in simulations of a typical physical system. The problem of fluctuating Lyapunov exponents is expected to be common in simulations of higher-dimensional systems.