On the angle between the first and second Lyapunov vectors in spatio-temporal chaos

In a dynamical system the first Lyapunov vector (LV) is associated with the largest Lyapunov exponent and indicates—at any point on the attractor—the direction of maximal growth in tangent space. The LV corresponding to the second largest Lyapunov exponent generally points in a different direction, but tangencies between both vectors can in principle occur. Here we find that the probability density function (PDF) of the angle ψ spanned by the first and second LVs should be expected to be approximately symmetric around π/4 and to peak at 0 and π/2. Moreover, for small angles we uncover a scaling law for the PDF Q of ψl = ln ψ with the system size L: Q(ψl) = L−1/2f(ψlL−1/2). We give a theoretical argument that justifies this scaling form and also explains why it should be universal (irrespective of the system details) for spatio-temporal chaos in one spatial dimension. This article is part of a special issue of Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical devoted to 'Lyapunov analysis: from dynamical systems theory to applications'. (paper)