In
mathematics
Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
, the Hénon map, sometimes called Hénon–Pomeau attractor/map, is a
discrete-time
In mathematical dynamics, discrete time and continuous time are two alternative frameworks within which variables that evolve over time are modeled.
Discrete time
Discrete time views values of variables as occurring at distinct, separate "poi ...
dynamical system
In mathematics, a dynamical system is a system in which a Function (mathematics), function describes the time dependence of a Point (geometry), point in an ambient space, such as in a parametric curve. Examples include the mathematical models ...
. It is one of the most studied examples of dynamical systems that exhibit
chaotic behavior. The Hénon map takes a point in the plane and maps it to a new point
:
The map depends on two parameters, and , which for the classical Hénon map have values of and . For the classical values the Hénon map is chaotic. For other values of and the map may be
chaotic,
intermittent, or converge to a
periodic orbit
In mathematics, in the study of iterated functions and dynamical systems, a periodic point of a function is a point which the system returns to after a certain number of function iterations or a certain amount of time.
Iterated functions
Given ...
. An overview of the type of behavior of the map at different parameter values may be obtained from its
orbit diagram.
The map was introduced by
Michel Hénon as a simplified model of the
Poincaré section of the
Lorenz model. For the classical map, an initial point of the plane will either approach a set of points known as the Hénon
strange attractor
In the mathematics, mathematical field of dynamical systems, an attractor is a set of states toward which a system tends to evolve, for a wide variety of starting conditions of the system. System values that get close enough to the attractor va ...
, or diverge to infinity. The Hénon attractor is a
fractal
In mathematics, a fractal is a Shape, geometric shape containing detailed structure at arbitrarily small scales, usually having a fractal dimension strictly exceeding the topological dimension. Many fractals appear similar at various scale ...
, smooth in one direction and a
Cantor set
In mathematics, the Cantor set is a set of points lying on a single line segment that has a number of unintuitive properties. It was discovered in 1874 by Henry John Stephen Smith and mentioned by German mathematician Georg Cantor in 1883.
Throu ...
in another. Numerical estimates yield a
correlation dimension In chaos theory, the correlation dimension (denoted by ''ν'') is a measure of the dimensionality of the space occupied by a set of random points, often referred to as a type of fractal dimension.
For example, if we have a set of random points on t ...
of 1.21 ± 0.01 or 1.25 ± 0.02
(depending on the dimension of the embedding space) and a
Box Counting dimension of 1.261 ± 0.003
for the attractor of the classical map.
Attractor
The Hénon map maps two points into themselves: these are the invariant points. For the classical values of ''a'' and ''b'' of the Hénon map, one of these points is on the attractor:
:
:
This point is unstable. Points close to this fixed point and along the slope 1.924 will approach the fixed point and points along the slope -0.156 will move away from the fixed point. These slopes arise from the linearizations of the
stable manifold
In mathematics, and in particular the study of dynamical systems, the idea of ''stable and unstable sets'' or stable and unstable manifolds give a formal mathematical definition to the general notions embodied in the idea of an attractor or repell ...
and
unstable manifold
In mathematics, and in particular the study of dynamical systems, the idea of ''stable and unstable sets'' or stable and unstable manifolds give a formal mathematical definition to the general notions embodied in the idea of an attractor or repell ...
of the fixed point. The unstable manifold of the fixed point in the attractor is contained in the
strange attractor
In the mathematics, mathematical field of dynamical systems, an attractor is a set of states toward which a system tends to evolve, for a wide variety of starting conditions of the system. System values that get close enough to the attractor va ...
of the Hénon map.
The Hénon map does not have a strange attractor for all values of the parameters ''a'' and ''b''. For example, by keeping ''b'' fixed at 0.3 the bifurcation diagram shows that for ''a'' = 1.25 the Hénon map has a stable periodic orbit as an attractor.
Cvitanović et al. have shown how the structure of the Hénon strange attractor can be understood in terms of unstable periodic orbits within the attractor.
Relationship to bifurcation diagram
If multiple Hénon maps are plotted, for each map varying the value of ''b'', then stacking all maps together, a
Bifurcation diagram
In mathematics, particularly in dynamical systems, a bifurcation diagram shows the values visited or approached asymptotically ( fixed points, periodic orbits, or chaotic attractors) of a system as a function of a bifurcation parameter in the ...
is produced. A Bifurcation diagram that is folded like a taco. Hence its boomerang shape when viewed in 2D from the top.
Decomposition

The Hénon map may be decomposed into the composition of three functions acting on the domain one after the other.
1) an area-preserving bend:
:
,
2) a contraction in the ''x'' direction:
:
,
3) a reflection in the line ''y'' = ''x'':
:
.
One-dimensional decomposition
The Hénon map may also be deconstructed into a one-dimensional map, defined similarly to the
Fibonacci Sequence
In mathematics, the Fibonacci sequence is a Integer sequence, sequence in which each element is the sum of the two elements that precede it. Numbers that are part of the Fibonacci sequence are known as Fibonacci numbers, commonly denoted . Many w ...
.
:
Four-dimensional extension
Although the Hénon map can be plotted on the ''x''- and ''y''-axes, by varying ''a'' and ''b'', we obtain two additional dimensions for plotting. The Hénon map therefore, can be plotted in
four-dimensional space
Four-dimensional space (4D) is the mathematical extension of the concept of three-dimensional space (3D). Three-dimensional space is the simplest possible abstraction of the observation that one needs only three numbers, called ''dimensions'' ...
. We can visualize such a plot by viewing one
hyperplane
In geometry, a hyperplane is a generalization of a two-dimensional plane in three-dimensional space to mathematical spaces of arbitrary dimension. Like a plane in space, a hyperplane is a flat hypersurface, a subspace whose dimension is ...
(i.e. one cube of space) at a time representing three axes, then moving along the fourth axis as time passes.
In the video example to the right, the three axes for each image in the video are ''x'', ''y'', and ''b''. As time passes, it is the ''a'' axis that is moved through.
Special cases and low-period orbits
If one solves the one-dimensional Hénon map for the special case:
:
One arrives at the simple quadradic:
:
Or
:
The
quadratic formula
In elementary algebra, the quadratic formula is a closed-form expression describing the solutions of a quadratic equation. Other ways of solving quadratic equations, such as completing the square, yield the same solutions.
Given a general quadr ...
yields:
:
In the special case b=1, this is simplified to
:
If, in addition, a is in the form
the formula is further simplified to
:
In practice the starting point (X,X) will follow a 4-point loop in two dimensions passing through all quadrants.
:
:
:
:
History
In 1976 France, the Lorenz attractor is analyzed by the physicist
Yves Pomeau who performs a series of numerical calculations with J.L. Ibanez. The analysis produces a kind of complement to the work of Ruelle (and Lanford) presented in 1975. It is the Lorenz attractor, that is to say, the one corresponding to the original differential equations, and its geometric structure that interest them. Pomeau and Ibanez combine their numerical calculations with the results of mathematical analysis, based on the use of Poincaré sections. Stretching, folding, sensitivity to initial conditions are naturally brought in this context in connection with the Lorenz attractor. If the analysis is ultimately very mathematical, Pomeau and Ibanez follow, in a sense, a physicist approach, experimenting with the Lorenz system numerically.
Two openings are brought specifically by these experiences. They make it possible to highlight a singular behavior of the Lorenz system: there is a transition, characterized by a critical value of the parameters of the system, for which the system switches from a strange attractor position to a configuration in a limit cycle. The importance will be revealed by Pomeau himself (and a collaborator, Paul Manneville) through the "scenario" of
Intermittency
In dynamical systems, intermittency is the irregular alternation of phases of apparently periodic and chaotic dynamics ( Pomeau–Manneville dynamics), or different forms of chaotic dynamics (crisis-induced intermittency).
Experimentally ...
, proposed in 1979.
The second path suggested by Pomeau and Ibanez is the idea of realizing dynamical systems even simpler than that of Lorenz, but having similar characteristics, and which would make it possible to prove more clearly "evidences" brought to light by numerical calculations. Since the reasoning is based on Poincaré's section, he proposes to produce an application of the plane in itself, rather than a differential equation, imitating the behavior of Lorenz and its strange attractor. He builds one in an ad hoc manner which allows him to better base his reasoning.
In January 1976, Pomeau presented his work during a seminar given at the Côte d'Azur Observatory, attended by Michel Hénon. Michel Hénon uses Pomeau’s suggestion to obtain a simple system with a strange attractor.
Koopman modes
In dynamical system, the
Koopman operator
In mathematics, the composition operator C_\phi with symbol \phi is a linear operator defined by the rule
C_\phi (f) = f \circ \phi
where f \circ \phi denotes function composition. It is also encountered in composition of permutations in permutati ...
is a natural linear operator on the space of scalar fields. For general nonlinear systems, the
eigenfunctions
In mathematics, an eigenfunction of a linear map, linear operator ''D'' defined on some function space is any non-zero function (mathematics), function f in that space that, when acted upon by ''D'', is only multiplied by some scaling factor calle ...
of this operator cannot be expressed in any nice form. Instead one must compute them numerically. These modes can give insight into the
symbolic dynamics
In mathematics, symbolic dynamics is the study of dynamical systems defined on a discrete space consisting of infinite sequences of abstract symbols. The evolution of the dynamical system is defined as a simple shift of the sequence.
Because of t ...
of chaotic maps like the Hénon map. In the mode provided, the
stable manifold
In mathematics, and in particular the study of dynamical systems, the idea of ''stable and unstable sets'' or stable and unstable manifolds give a formal mathematical definition to the general notions embodied in the idea of an attractor or repell ...
of the
strange attractor
In the mathematics, mathematical field of dynamical systems, an attractor is a set of states toward which a system tends to evolve, for a wide variety of starting conditions of the system. System values that get close enough to the attractor va ...
can be clearly seen.
Generalizations
A 3-D generalization for the Hénon map was proposed by Hitz and Zele.
It is given by
.
For
and
it can be shown that almost all
initial conditions
In mathematics and particularly in dynamic systems, an initial condition, in some contexts called a seed value, is a value of an evolving variable at some point in time designated as the initial time (typically denoted ''t'' = 0). Fo ...
inside the
unit sphere
In mathematics, a unit sphere is a sphere of unit radius: the locus (mathematics), set of points at Euclidean distance 1 from some center (geometry), center point in three-dimensional space. More generally, the ''unit -sphere'' is an n-sphere, -s ...
generate chaotic signals with largest
Lyapunov exponent .
Many other generalizations have been proposed in the literature. One can generate, for example,
band-limited chaotic signals using
digital filters in the feedback loop of the system.
See also
*
Horseshoe map
*
Takens' theorem
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
* . Reprinted in: Chaos and Fractals, A Computer Graphical Journey: Ten Year Compilation of Advanced Research (Ed. C. A. Pickover). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier, pp. 69–71, 1998
*
External links
Interactive Henon mapan
i
by A. Luhn
Orbit Diagram of the Hénon Mapby C. Pellicer-Lostao and R. Lopez-Ruiz after work by Ed Pegg Jr,
The Wolfram Demonstrations Project
The Wolfram Demonstrations Project is an open-source collection of interactive programmes called Demonstrations. It is hosted by Wolfram Research. At its launch, it contained 1300 demonstrations but has grown to over 10,000. The site won a Pa ...
.
Matlab code for the Hénon Mapby M.Suzen
of Hénon map in javascript (experiences.math.cnrs.fr) by Marc Monticelli.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henon Map
Chaotic maps