From strong chaos via weak chaos to regular behaviour: Optimal interplay between chaos and order

• A four-site discrete nonlinear Schroedinger equation lattice is studied.
• Periodically driven coupling on an embedded dimer produces chaos and delocalisation.
• Localisation depends non-trivially on the coupling strength to the remaining sites.
• Suitable parameter values restore regular dynamics and complete localisation.
• The transitions that lead to complete localisation are aided by increasing dimension.

We investigate the interplay between chaotic and integrable Hamiltonian systems. In detail, a fully connected four-site lattice system associated with the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation is studied. On an embedded two-site segment (dimer) of the four-site system (tetramer) the coupling element between its two sites is time-periodically modified by an external driving term rendering the dimer dynamics chaotic, along with delocalisation of initially single-site excitations. Starting from an isolated dimer system the strength of the coupling to the remaining two sites of the tetramer is treated as a control parameter. It is striking that when the dimer interacts globally with the remaining two sites, thus constituting a fully connected tetramer, a non-trivial dependence of the degree of localisation on the strength of the coupling is found. There even exist ranges of optimal coupling strengths for which the driven tetramer dynamics becomes not only regular but also restores complete single-site localisation. We relate the re-establishment of complete localisation with transitions from permanent chaos via regular transients to permanent stable motion on a torus in the higher-dimensional phase space. In conclusion, increasing the dimension of a system can have profound effects on the character of the dynamics in higher-dimensional mixed phase spaces such that even full stabilisation of motion can be accomplished.