Mixed-mode oscillations (MMOs) are complex oscillatory patterns in which large-amplitude relaxation oscillations (LAOs) alternate with small-amplitude oscillations (SAOs). MMOs are found in singularly perturbed systems of ordinary differential equations of slow-fast type, and are typically related to the presence of so-called folded singularities and the corresponding canard trajectories in such systems. Here, we introduce a canonical family of three-dimensional slow-fast systems that exhibit MMOs which are induced by relaxation-type dynamics, and which are hence based on a jump mechanism, rather than on a more standard canard mechanism. In particular, we establish a correspondence between that family and a class of associated one-dimensional piecewise affine maps (PAMs) which exhibit MMOs with the same signature. Finally, we give a preliminary classification of admissible mixed-mode signatures, and we illustrate our findings with numerical examples.
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