Stability and optimal parameters for continuous feedback chaos control.

We investigate the conditions under which an optimal continuous feedback control can be achieved. Chaotic oscillations in the single-well Duffing model, with either a positive or a negative nonlinear stiffness term, are tuned to their related Ritz approximation. The Floquet theory enables the stability analysis of the control. Critical values of the feedback control coefficient fulfilling the optimization criteria are derived. The influence of the chosen target orbit, of the feedback coefficient, and of the onset time of control on its duration is discussed. The analytic approach is confirmed by numerical simulations.