Rössler Attractor

The Rossler attractor is the attractor for the Rossler system, a system of three non-linear ordinary differential equations originally studied by Otto Rossler in the 1970s, who interpreted it as a formalization of a taffy-pulling machine. These equations define a continuous-time dynamical system that exhibits chaotic dynamics tied to the fractal properties of the attractor; an orbit within it follows an outward spiral near a plane around an unstable fixed point until a second fixed point causes a rise and twist along the third dimension, producing oscillations that stay within a fixed range of values yet remain chaotic. Rossler designed the attractor in 1976 intending it to behave similarly to the Lorenz attractor while being easier to analyze qualitatively; it has since been found useful in modeling equilibrium in chemical reactions.