Acoustic Monitoring of the Sea Medium Variability: Experimental Testing of New Methods

Two new methods of acoustic monitoring of the sea medium are tested in a shelf region. One of the methods is the difference-pulse technique in which the variability of the medium is characterized by the difference in the energies of the sequences of arrivals of two multiray signals. The other method is the self-sustained oscillator technique in which the information on the changes that occur in the water temperature, the velocity of currents, and other parameters of the medium is obtained from the frequency deviation of a self-sustained oscillator that has a feedback loop closed through the underwater sound channel.     

Synchronization of multi-frequency noise-induced oscillations

Using a model system of FitzHugh-Nagumo type in the excitable regime, the similarity between synchronization of self-sustained and noise-induced oscillations is studied for the case of more than one main frequency in the spectrum. It is shown that this excitable system undergoes the same frequency lockings as a self-sustained quasiperiodic oscillator. The presence of noise-induced both stable and unstable limit cycles and tori, as well as their tangential bifurcations, are discussed. As the FitzHugh-Nagumo oscillator represents one of the basic neural models, the obtained results are of high importance for neuroscience.     

Der harmonische Oszillator — ein Beispiel für nicht-thermische Phasenübergänge

It is shown that the transition of the harmonic oscillator to the state of self-sustained oscillations is described by equations which are valid for the laser phase transition as well. Experimental results of a 2nd order phase transition of the harmonic oscillator are given.     

Oscillatory nonequilibrium Nambu systems: the canonical-dissipative Yamaleev oscillator

We study the emergence of oscillatory self-sustained behavior in a nonequilibrium Nambu system that features an exchange between different kinetical and potential energy forms. To this end, we study the Yamaleev oscillator in a canonical-dissipative framework. The bifurcation diagram of the nonequilibrium Yamaleev oscillator is derived and different bifurcation routes that are leading to limit cycle dynamics and involve pitchfork and Hopf bifurcations are discussed. Finally, an analytical expression for the probability density of the stochastic nonequilibrium oscillator is derived and it is shown that the shape of the density function is consistent with the oscillator properties in the deterministic case.     

Method of studying the synchronization of self-sustained oscillations using continuous wavelet analysis of univariant data

A new method for detecting the synchronization of a self-sustained oscillator under an external action with a linearly increasing frequency is proposed. It is based on the continuous wavelet transformation of univariant data (scalar time series). The efficiency of the method is demonstrated with a modified asymmetric van der Pol oscillator, Rössler oscillator, and experimental physiological data. In the last case, synchronization between rhythmic processes of different order in the cardiovascular and respiratory systems of the man is demonstrated using only the time series of the R-R intervals.     

A study of the microwave dielectric permittivity of liquid crystals in electric and magnetic fields

A microwave detector based on a self-sustained oscillator circuit is proposed as a means to investigate the real and imaginary components of the dielectric permittivity of liquid crystals in external electric and magnetic fields. Results are given for measurements of a 500 MHz oscillator frequency for two types of nematic crystals, 5CBP and MBBA. Fundamental regularities are identified in the behavior of the microwave dielectric permittivity of samples in electric and magnetic fields. It is shown that the minimum of the high-frequency dielectric loss in liquid crystals correspond to a situation in which the long axes of the molecules are oriented parallel to the direction of the microwave electric field. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 68, 117–121 (January 1998)     

Control of forced self-sustained oscillations via a backward time controller

A weakly non-linear self-sustained oscillator can be synchronized by an external force only in a certain domain of parameters. We exploit unstable periodic orbits and extend this domain via a small control perturbation. The controller is constructed as a backward time replica of the original oscillator that has the same periodic orbits but with the opposite stability properties. The control is achieved by synchronizing the original oscillator with its backward time replica. We demonstrate these ideas both theoretically and experimentally.     

Phase synchronization from noisy univariate signals

We present methods for detecting phase synchronization of two unidirectionally coupled, self-sustained noisy oscillators from a signal of the driven oscillator alone. One method detects soft phase locking; another hard phase locking. Both are applied to the problem of detecting phase synchronization in von Kármán vortex flow meters.     

Mutual synchronization of two coupled self-oscillators based on GaAs/AlGaAs superlattices

The interaction of self-oscillators based on 30-period weakly coupled GaAs/AlGaAs superlattices is studied. The action of one self-oscillator on the other was observed for a constant bias voltage in the absence of generation of self-sustained oscillations in one of the oscillators. It is shown that induced oscillations in a forced oscillator appear due to excitation of oscillations in the system of coupled oscillators forming the electric-field domain wall at the frequency of one of the higher harmonics of a forcing oscillation.     

Wide-aperture superatmospheric-pressure CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> laser amplifier pumped by a self-sustained volume discharge

Initiation of a self-sustained volume discharge in CO₂-containing gaseous mixtures kept under a pressure of up to 10 atm with the aim of amplifying picosecond IR pulses is considered. Experimental electricdischarge and optical characteristics of a wide-aperture high-pressure CO₂ amplifier are presented. The feasibility of designing terawatt laser equipment with a master oscillator and preamplifier is discussed.     

Are spontaneous otoacoustic emissions generated by self-sustained cochlear oscillators?

Theoretical analyses supporting the assumption that spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) can be described as self-sustained oscillations (requiring a power source) are reviewed and extended. Spectral and statistical properties of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions are examined and shown to be consistent with this assumption. Several alternative models of spontaneous emissions (noise-driven saturating memoryless nonlinearity, noise-driven nonlinear-stiffness oscillator) are examined. Although some of these models are able to produce the types of statistical distributions of amplitude and displacement similar to those observed in the experimental data, this similarity is destroyed upon narrow-band filtering.     

Coherence resonance near a Hopf bifurcation

We report on the observation of coherence resonance for a semiconductor laser with short optical feedback close to Hopf bifurcations. Noise-induced self-pulsations are documented by distinct Lorentzian-like features in the power spectrum. The character of coherence is critically related to the type of the bifurcation. In the supercritical case, spectral width and height of the peak are monotonic functions of the noise level. In contrast, for the subcritical bifurcation, the width exhibits a minimum, translating into resonance behavior of the correlation time in the pulsation transients. A theoretical analysis based on the generic model of a self-sustained oscillator demonstrates that these observations are of general nature and are related to the fact that the damping depends qualitatively different on the noise intensity for the subcritical and supercritical case.     

Phase chaos in the dynamics of an ensemble of oscillators with time-modulated global coupling

The object of consideration is an ensemble of globally coupled self-sustained oscillating elements with a finite-width frequency distribution. The ensemble interacts with the field of a resonator, which is a linear oscillator with a frequency doubly exceeding the mean frequency of the oscillators in the ensemble. The global coupling is switched on and off alternately, so that the ensemble alternatively passes from synchrony to asynchrony (Kuramoto transition). At each stage of activity (synchronization), the field of the resonator causes the mean field of the ensemble to oscillate so that the phase doubles compared with the previous stage of excitation. Therefore, the mean field dynamics is chaotic and, as follows from numerical simulation data, can be associated with the Smale-Williams attractor. Systems of this type can be applied in electronics, specifically, in secure communication systems, noise location, etc.     

Experimental bifurcations and chaos in a modified self-sustained macro electromechanical system

A class of self-sustained Macro ElectroMechanical (MaEMS) Systems is made up of a Rayleigh-Duffing oscillator actuating a mechanical arm through a magnetic coupling. In this paper, to avoid experimental constraints, an audio amplifier is added to the device. Quenching phenomenon, bifurcation and chaos are predicted and shown to occur in a device of this class of MaEMS. Especially by using linear stability analysis, the condition for the quenching phenomenon is derived. Chaos and bifurcation are predicted using Lyapunov exponent and bifurcation diagram. A prototype of device is designed and fabricated. Experimental results for this device that are consistent with results from theoretical investigations are presented and convincingly show quenching phenomenon, bifurcation and chaos.     

Phase synchronization in tilted deterministic ratchets

We study phase synchronization for a ratchet system. We consider the deterministic dynamics of a particle in a tilted ratchet potential with an external periodic forcing, in the overdamped case. The ratchet potential has to be tilted in order to obtain a rotator or self-sustained nonlinear oscillator in the absence of external periodic forcing. This oscillator has an intrinsic frequency that can be entrained with the frequency of the external driving. We introduced a linear phase through a set of discrete time events and the associated average frequency, and show that this frequency can be synchronized with the frequency of the external driving. In this way, we can properly characterize the phenomenon of synchronization through Arnold tongues, which represent regions of synchronization in parameter space, and discuss their implications for transport in ratchets.     

Coherence resonance and stochastic synchronization in a nonlinear circuit near a subcritical Hopf bifurcation

We analyze noise-induced phenomena in nonlinear dynamical systems near a subcritical Hopf bifurcation. We investigate qualitative changes of probability distributions (stochastic bifurcations), coherence resonance, and stochastic synchronization. These effects are studied in dynamical systems for which a subcritical Hopf bifurcation occurs. We perform analytical calculations, numerical simulations and experiments on an electronic circuit. For the generalized Van der Pol model we uncover the similarities between the behavior of a self-sustained oscillator characterized by a subcritical Hopf bifurcation and an excitable system. The analogy is manifested through coherence resonance and stochastic synchronization. In particular, we show both experimentally and numerically that stochastic oscillations that appear due to noise in a system with hard excitation, can be partially synchronized even outside the oscillatory regime of the deterministic system.     

Controlling synchronization in an ensemble of globally coupled oscillators

We propose a technique to control coherent collective oscillations in ensembles of globally coupled units (self-sustained oscillators or maps). We demonstrate numerically and theoretically that a time delayed feedback in the mean field can, depending on the parameters, enhance or suppress the self-synchronization in the population. We discuss possible applications of the technique.     

二次耦合光力学系统的一类高维可控自持振荡行为

光力学系统通常的耦合是光压耦合, 是光场强度和纳米振子位移的一次耦合, 但在光场很强和振子振幅较大的光力学系统中, 非线性的耦合效应会变得非常明显和重要, 而且其所产生的非线性效应对制造具有特殊功能的光力学器件具有重要意义. 本文在二次耦合模型的基础上研究了光腔和振子之间通过二次耦合作用达到能 量平衡状态时系统所产生的自持振荡现象, 给出了二次耦合光力学系统的一般模型, 并通过数值方法研究了系统的定态行为和远离定态的极限环动力学行为, 标定了系统定态响应的稳定区域到极限环行为的分岔点. 发现在调节输入场参数(改变耦合系数)以及光腔和振子的弛豫系数时, 系统的相空间会出现一些稳定的高维自持振荡极限环. 通过数值分析发现该四维极限环在三维相空间的投影都趋于稳定的三维周期轨道, 并且该极限环轨道会随外部调控参数的改变发生扭动, 出现类似二维李萨如图样的稳定纽结结构. 该现象表明: 通过光场与振子的能量耦合, 利用一定强度的外部驱动可以有效控制振子的定态响应和振动, 可以让微振子锁定在具有一定振幅和频率的自发振动上, 为开发物理器件提供了可靠的光力学控制系统. 关键词： 光力系统 二次耦合 自持振荡 极限环     

Application of acoustic feedback to target detection in a waveguide: experimental demonstration at the ultrasonic scale

People are familiar with the acoustic feedback phenomenon, which results in a loud sound that is heard when a musician plays an electric instrument directly into a speaker. Acoustic feedback occurs when a source and a receiver are connected both acoustically through the propagation medium and electrically through an amplifier, such that the amplified received signal is continuously re-emitted by the source. The acoustic feedback can be initiated from a continuous sine wave. When the emitter and the receiver are in phase, resonance is obtained, which appears to be highly sensitive to any fluctuation of the propagation medium. Another procedure consists in initiating the acoustic feedback from a continuous loop of ambient noise. It then generates an unstable self-sustained feedback oscillator (SFO) that is tested here as a method for monitoring temperature fluctuations of a shallow-water oceanic environment. The goal of the present study is to reproduce and study the SFO at the laboratory scale in an ultrasonic waveguide. The experimental results demonstrate the potential applications of the SFO for the detection of a target in the framework of the acoustic-barrier problem in shallow-water acoustics.     

How coupling determines the entrainment of circadian clocks

Autonomous circadian clocks drive daily rhythms in physiology and behaviour. A network of coupled neurons, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), serves as a robust self-sustained circadian pacemaker. Synchronization of this timer to the environmental light-dark cycle is crucial for an organism’s fitness. In a recent theoretical and experimental study it was shown that coupling governs the entrainment range of circadian clocks. We apply the theory of coupled oscillators to analyse how diffusive and mean-field coupling affects the entrainment range of interacting cells. Mean-field coupling leads to amplitude expansion of weak oscillators and, as a result, reduces the entrainment range. We also show that coupling determines the rigidity of the synchronized SCN network, i.e. the relaxation rates upon perturbation. Our simulations and analytical calculations using generic oscillator models help to elucidate how coupling determines the entrainment of the SCN. Our theoretical framework helps to interpret experimental data.