Bifurcation analyses and hardware experiments for bursting dynamics in non-autonomous memristive FitzHugh-Nagumo circuit

In this paper, a non-autonomous memristive FitzHugh-Nagumo (FHN) circuit is constructed using a second-order memristive diode bridge with LC network. For convenience of circuit implementation, an AC voltage source is adopted to substitute the original AC current stimulus. Stimulated by the slowly varying AC voltage source, the number, locations and stabilities of the equilibrium points slowly evolve with the time, which are thus indicated as the AC equilibrium points. Different sequences of fold and/or Hopf bifurcations are encountered in a full period of time series evolutions, leading to various kinds of chaotic or periodic bursting activities. To figure out the related bifurcation mechanisms, the fold and Hopf bifurcation sets are mathematically formulated to locate the critical bifurcation points. On this basis, the transitions between the resting and repetitive spiking states are clearly illustrated by the time series of the AC equilibrium points and state variables, from which Hopf/subHopf, Hopf/Hopf, and Hopf/fold bursting oscillations are identified in the specified parameter regions. Finally, based on a fabricated hardware circuit, the experimental measurements are executed. The results verify that the presented memristive FHN circuit indeed exhibits complex bursting activities, which enriches the family of memristor-based FHN circuits with bursting dynamics.