On distinguishing genuine from spurious chaos in planar singular and nonsmooth systems: A diagnostic approach

Abstract

We present a rigorous reassessment of chaotic behavior in two-dimensional autonomous systems with singular or nonsmooth dynamics. For the Cummings-Dixon-Kaus (CDK) model, we show that blow-up regularization restores smoothness and renders the hypotheses of the Poincaré-Bendixson theorem applicable, thereby excluding chaotic attractors away from the singular set. We prove topological equivalence between the original and regularized flows on annular domains, ensuring that no spurious invariant sets are introduced by desingularization. In contrast, for a nonsmooth system with a $|x|$ term, we recompute the entire period-doubling cascade, obtain a seven-term sequence of bifurcation values converging to Feigenbaum's constant, and confirm robust chaos through positive Lyapunov exponents, broadband spectra, and fractal dimension estimates. As a main outcome, we propose a diagnostic protocol integrating regularization, numerical refinement, and invariant-set criteria. This protocol provides a reproducible standard for distinguishing genuine planar chaos from artifacts caused by singularities or discretization, and offers a benchmark for future studies of low-dimensional nonsmooth systems.