Chaos without nonlinear dynamics

A linear, second-order filter driven by randomly polarized pulses is shown to generate a waveform that is chaotic under time reversal. That is, the filter output exhibits determinism and a positive Lyapunov exponent when viewed backward in time. The filter is demonstrated experimentally using a passive electronic circuit, and the resulting waveform exhibits a Lorenz-like butterfly structure. This phenomenon suggests that chaos may be connected to physical theories whose underlying framework is not that of a traditional deterministic nonlinear dynamical system.