Global features of chaos observed after an initial period-doubling route to chaos in a driven p-n junction oscillator are found to result from a simple mechanism which consists of a driven linear oscillator reset by a relaxation oscillator. The global features include staircases, period adding, replication, hopping, and higher-order periodic windows. A one-dimensional iterative map is constructed which models the initial quadratic behavior and subsequent global behavior. Other systems where this mechanism may be found are discussed.

• Received 11 April 1985

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.32.2513