Spatiotemporal chaotic dynamics in a transmission line model

In a transmission line oscillator a linear wave travels along a piece of cable, the transmission line, and interacts with terminating electrical components. Diodes are integrated into almost all electronic devices as a means of protecting the logic circuits from destructive outside signals and high-voltage discharges. In the simple network model that we present, we show chaotic effects associated with diodes, that if transmitted into the primary circuitry may disrupt or possibly damage the device. The chaotic behavior is quantified in terms of Lyapunov exponents.