Dartmouth Events

Physics & Astronomy/Thayer Plasma Seminar - Dr. Bob Melville, NJIT

Title: "Experimental Investigation of Bifurcation Phenomena"

Tuesday, October 17, 2017
3:30pm – 4:30pm
Wilder 202
Intended Audience(s): Public
Categories: Lectures & Seminars

Abstract: Electronic, physical and biological systems will sometimes display an abrupt change or "snap" behavior in response to modification of a parameter (temperature, bias voltage, drive frequency, etc.). Examples include hysteresis behavior in an electronic circuit, ignition of a plasma, or a kind of atypical heartbeat called electrical alternans.

Such behaviors are observed in systems described by non-linear equations, non-linear ordinary differential equations and non-linear partial differential equations. Typically, these so-called bifurcations are a prelude to more complex behaviors such as chaos, turbulence or cardiac arrhythmia (which is often fatal).

Despite extensive theoretical research on this topic under the general heading of Dynamical Systems, experimental techniques to study such phenomena have -- at least in the opinion of the presenter --lagged behind the theory.

In this informal talk I will report on some recent work (in part, joint with Pf. Almudena Suarez at the University of Cantabria in Spain) to develop laboratory methods to observe and study such phenomena. Specifically, we will discuss the important and elegant technique of arc-length continuation (usually implemented in simulation) and show how an arc-length continuation can be performed experimentally without reference to a numerical simulation model.

Only an elementary knowledge of circuit theory and real analysis will be assumed.

For more information, contact:
Tressena Manning
603-646-2854

Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.