Chaotic cluster itinerancy and hierarchical cluster trees in electrochemical experiments.

Experiments on an array of 64 globally coupled chaotic electrochemical oscillators were carried out. The array is heterogeneous due to small variations in the properties of the electrodes and there is also a small amount of noise. Over some ranges of the coupling parameter, dynamical clustering was observed. The precision-dependent cluster configuration is analyzed using hierarchical cluster trees. The cluster configurations varied with time: spontaneous changes of number of clusters and their configurations were detected. Simple transitions occurred with the switch of a single element or groups of elements. During more complicated transitions subclusters were exchanged among clusters but original cluster configurations were revisited. At weaker coupling the system itinerated among lower-dimensional quasistationary chaotic two-cluster states and higher-dimensional states with many clusters. In this region the transitions showed characteristics of on-off intermittency.