A novel algorithm to analyze the dynamics of digital chaotic maps in finite-precision domain

Chaotic maps are widely used to design pseudo-random sequence generators, chaotic ciphers, and secure communication systems. Nevertheless, the dynamic characteristics of digital chaos in finite-precision domain must be degraded in varying degrees due to the limited calculation accuracy of hardware equipment. To assess the dynamic properties of digital chaos, we design a periodic cycle location algorithm (PCLA) from a new perspective to analyze the dynamic degradation of digital chaos. The PCLA can divide the state-mapping graph of digital chaos into several connected subgraphs for the purpose of locating all fixed points and periodic limit cycles contained in a digital chaotic map. To test the versatility and availability of our proposed algorithm, the periodic distribution and security of 1-D logistic maps and 2-D Baker maps are analyzed in detail. Moreover, this algorithm is helpful to the design of anti-degradation algorithms for digital chaotic dynamics. These related studies can promote the application of chaos in engineering practice.