Related papers: Bi-stability resistant to fluctuations
We have studied the fluctuation (noise) in the position of sliding blocks under constant driving forces on different substrate surfaces. The experimental data are complemented by simulations using a simple spring-block model where the…
Many elastic structures have two possible equilibrium states: from umbrellas that become inverted in a sudden gust of wind, to nano-electromechanical switches, origami patterns and the hopper popper, which jumps after being turned…
This article studies typical dynamics and fluctuations for a slow-fast dynamical system perturbed by a small fractional Brownian noise. Based on an ergodic theorem with explicit rates of convergence, which may be of independent interest, we…
Dynamical instrument limitations, such as finite detection bandwidth, do not simply add statistical errors to fluctuation measurements, but can create significant systematic biases that affect the measurement of steady-state properties.…
The linear response of non-equilibrium systems with Markovian dynamics satisfies a generalized fluctuation-dissipation relation derived from time symmetry and antisymmetry properties of the fluctuations. The relation involves the sum of two…
The over-damped motion of a Brownian particle in an asymmetric, bistable, fluctuating potential shows noise induced stability: For intermediate fluctuation rates the mean occupancy of minima with an energy above the absolute minimum is…
Time-lapse microscopy imaging provides direct access to the dynamics of soft and living systems. At mesoscopic scales, such microscopy experiments reveal intrinsic fluctuations, which may have both thermal and non-equilibrium origins. These…
The smaller the system, typically - the higher is the impact of fluctuations. In narrow superconducting wires sufficiently close to the critical temperature Tc thermal fluctuations are responsible for the experimentally observable finite…
The same system can exhibit a completely different dynamical behavior when it evolves in equilibrium conditions or when it is driven out-of-equilibrium by, e.g., connecting some of its components to heat baths kept at different…
We study the fluctuations of a Brownian micro particle trapped with optical tweezers in a gelatin solution undergoing a fast local temperature quench below the sol-gel transition. Contrary to what was previously reported, we observe no…
In the last ten years, a number of ``Conventional Fluctuation Theorems'' have been derived for systems with deterministic or stochastic dynamics, in a transient or in a non-equilibrium stationary state. These theorems gave explicit…
A dynamical system that undergoes a supercritical Hopf's bifurcation is perturbed by a multiplicative Brownian motion that scales with a small parameter $\epsilon$. The random fluctuations of the system at the critical point are studied…
Elastic confinements are an important component of many biological systems and dictate the transport properties of suspended particles under flow. In this chapter, we review the Brownian motion of a particle moving in the vicinity of a…
We review a series of experimental studies of the thermodynamics of nonequilibrium processes at the microscale. In particular, in these experiments we studied the fluctuations of the thermodynamic properties of a single optically-trapped…
Brownian motion imposes a hard limit on the overall precision of a nanomechanical measurement. Here, we present a combined experimental and theoretical study of the Brownian dynamics of a quintessential nanomechanical system, a…
Stability is a fundamental concept that refers to a system's ability to return close to its original state after disturbances. The minimal conditions for stability when system parameters vary in time, though common in physics, have been…
Many elastic structures exhibit rapid shape transitions between two possible equilibrium states: umbrellas become inverted in strong wind and hopper popper toys jump when turned inside-out. This snap-through is a general motif for the…
Even the most regular stick-slip frictional sliding is always stochastic, with irregularity in both the intervals between slip events and the sizes of the associated stress drops. Applying small-amplitude oscillations to the shear force, we…
An increasing interest in molecular structures whose long term dynamics resemble those of bistable mechanical systems promotes the search of possible candidates that may operate as two-state switching units. Of particular interest are the…
Bistability and snap-through instabilities are central to various mechanisms in nature and engineering, enabling rapid movement and large shape changes with minimal energy input. These phenomena are easily demonstrated by bending a piece of…