Controlling two-dimensional chaotic transients with the safety function

Abstract: In this work we deal with the H\'enon and the Lozi map for a choice of parameters where they show transient chaos. Orbits close to the chaotic saddle behave chaotically for a while to eventually escape to an external attractor. Traditionally, to prevent such an escape, the partial control technique has been applied. This method stands out for considering disturbances (noise) affecting the map and for finding a special region of the phase space, called the safe set, where the control required to sustain the orbits is small. However, in this work we will apply a new approach of the partial control method that has been recently developed. This new approach is based on finding a special function called the safety function, which allows to automatically find the minimum control necessary to avoid the escape of the orbits. Furthermore, we will show the strong connection between the safety function and the classical safe set. To illustrate that, we will compute for the first time, safety functions for the two-dimensional H\'enon and Lozi maps, where we also show the strong dependence of this function with the magnitude of disturbances affecting the map, and how this change drastically impacts the controlled orbits.