Chaos and Dynamic Behavior of the 4D Hyperchaotic Chen System via Variable-Order Fractional Derivatives

Fractional-order chaotic systems have received increasing attention over the past few years due to their ability to effectively model memory and complexity in nonlinear dynamics. Nonetheless, most of the research conducted so far has been on constant-order formulations, which still have some limitations in terms of adaptability and reality. Thus, to evade these limitations, we present a recently designed four-dimensional hyperchaotic Chen system with variable-order fractional (VOF) derivatives in the Liouville–Caputo sense. In comparison with constant-order systems, the new system possesses excellent performance in numerous aspects. Firstly, with the use of variable-order derivatives, the system becomes more adaptive and flexible, allowing the chaotic dynamics of the system to evolve with changing fractional orders. Secondly, large-scale numerical simulations are conducted, where phase portrait orbits and time series for differences in VOF directly illustrate the effect of the order function on the system’s behavior. Thirdly, qualitative analysis is performed with the help of phase portraits, time series, and Lyapunov exponents to confirm the system’s hyperchaotic behavior and sensitivity to initial and control parameters. Finally, the model developed demonstrates a wide range of dynamic behaviors, which confirms the sufficient efficiency of VOF calculus for modeling complicated nonlinear processes. Numerous analyses indicate that this research not only shows meaningful findings but also provides thoughtful methodologies that might result in subsequent research on fractional-order chaotic systems.