Experimental nonlinear localization in a periodically forced repetitive system of coupled magnetoelastic beams

We experimentally study strongly localized modes (SLMs) in a repetitive system of four weakly coupled elastic beams oscillating in a magnetic field. We find four co-existing families of SLMs corresponding to energy confinement mainly in one of the four beams of the system. These solutions persist in frequency ranges close to the first linearized natural frequency of a single beam and are eliminated either through jumps to other weakly or strongly localized modes, or through sudden transitions to chaos.