Approximate and efficient calculation of dominant Lyapunov exponents of high-dimensional nonlinear dynamic systems

•High-dimensional nonlinear dynamic systems are approximated by reduced-order models.•Dominant Lyapunov exponents can be calculated using reduced-order models.•The proposed method is more efficient than existing algorithms.

This short communication presents an efficient method for calculating dominant Lyapunov exponents (LEs) of high-dimensional nonlinear dynamic systems based on their reduced-order models obtained from the linear model reduction theory. Mathematical derivation shows that the LEs of the reduced-order models correspond to the dominant LEs of the original systems. Two numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method.