Nonlinear Circuits and Systems (NCAS)

The Nonlinear Circuits and Systems Committee sponsors discussions on all aspects of nonlinear systems. Its areas of interest include the theory, analysis, design (computer-aided design), and practical implementation of circuits, and the application of circuit theoretic techniques to systems and to signal processing. The coverage of this field includes the spectrum of activities from, and including, basic scientific theory to industrial applications. Cooperation is sought with other IEEE societies, groups, and committees with a related scope.

Vision Statement

October 2010

Nonlinear phenomena in circuits and systems are ubiquitous. As new technologies emerge, and existing technologies are moved closer to their limits of performance, nonlinear effects will assume greater importance. It is vital that to create a repository of theory and experience that will allow engineers to understand, exploit and control these effects. Areas such as nanoelectronics and systems biology will present important new challenges and applications.

An important trend in the area of nonlinear circuits and systems is a rapid growth of interest in the study of large extended nonlinear systems and networks. In particular, the area of complex networks and systems is receiving increasing attention as witnessed by the large number of submissions related to this topic to our transactions. In this respect main activities in the field will involve the analysis and design of nonlinear circuits and systems characterized by numerous interacting systems whose structure and topology will evolve and adapt in time and space.

Future aspects of the nonlinear circuits and systems field should also encompass fundamental theories and their importance in new application domains. A perfect example is the theory of memristor formulated in 1970s, while the device was built only two years ago. Numerous new applications based on properties of the memristor are being proposed.

The Technical Committee on Nonlinear Circuits and Systems sees worth pursuing the following new research directions:

• analysis, control, and simulation of complex networked systems;
• analysis and synthesis of bio-inspired circuits and systems;
• developing nonlinear circuit models for bio-impedance and bio-electrical applications;
• analysis and design of piecewise-smooth and discontinuous dynamical systems;
• developing emerging applications of nonlinearity, chaos, and complexity to circuits and systems including smart grids, communication networks, random number generation, biological circuits and systems.