Abstract
A new 3-D chaotic dynamical system with a peanut-shaped closed curve of equilibrium points is introduced in this work. Since the new chaotic system has infinite number of rest points, the new chaotic model exhibits hidden attractors. A detailed dynamic analysis of the new chaotic model using bifurcation diagrams and entropy analysis is described. The new nonlinear plant shows multi-stability and coexisting convergent attractors. A circuit model using MultiSim of the new 3-D chaotic model is designed for engineering applications. The new multi-stable chaotic system is simulated on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) by applying two numerical methods, showing results in good agreement with numerical simulations. Consequently, we utilize the properties of our chaotic system in designing a new cipher colour image mechanism. Experimental results demonstrate the efficiency of the presented encryption mechanism, whose outcomes suggest promising applications for our chaotic system in various cryptographic applications.