Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos

The geometric structure of state space is understood through phase portraits and stability analysis that classify the character of fixed points based on the properties of Lyapunov exponents. Limit cycles are an important type of periodic orbit that occurs in many nonlinear systems, and their stability is analyzed according to Floquet multipliers. When time dependence is added to an autonomous two-dimensional state space system to make it non-autonomous, then chaos can emerge, as in the case of the driven damped pendulum. Autonomous systems with three-dimensional chaos include the Lorenz and Rössler models. Dissipative chaos often displays strange attractors with fractal dimensions.

Development of Floquet Multiplier Estimator to Determine Nonlinear Oscillatory Behavior in Power System Data Measurement

Measurement-based technology has been developed in the area of power transmission systems with phasor measurement units (PMU). Using high-resolution PMU data, the oscillatory behavior of power systems from general electromagnetic oscillations to sub-synchronous resonances can be observed. Studying oscillations in power systems is important to obtain information about the orbital stability of the system. Floquet multipliers calculation is based on a mathematical model to determine the orbital stability of a system with the existence of stable or unstable periodic solutions. In this paper, we have developed a model-free method to estimate Floquet multipliers using time series data. A comparative study between calculated and estimated Floquet multipliers has been performed to validate the proposed method. The results are provided for a sample three-bus power system network and the system integrated with a doubly fed induction generator.

The primacy of rhythm: how discrete actions merge into a stable rhythmic pattern

This study examined how humans spontaneously merge a sequence of discrete actions into a rhythmic pattern, even when periodicity is not required. Two experiments used a virtual throwing task, in which subjects performed a long sequence of discrete throwing movements, aiming to hit a virtual target. In experiment 1, subjects performed the task for 11 sessions. Although there was no instruction to perform rhythmically, the variability of the interthrow intervals decreased to a level comparable to that of synchronizing with a metronome; furthermore, dwell times shortened or even disappeared with practice. Floquet multipliers and decreasing variability of the arm trajectories estimated in state space indicated an increasing degree of dynamic stability. Subjects who achieved a higher level of periodicity and stability also displayed higher accuracy in the throwing task. To directly test whether rhythmicity affected performance, experiment 2 disrupted the evolving continuity and periodicity by enforcing a pause between successive throws. This discrete group performed significantly worse and with higher variability in their arm trajectories than the self-paced group. These findings are discussed in the context of previous neuroimaging results showing that rhythmic movements involve significantly fewer cortical and subcortical activations than discrete movements and therefore may pose a computationally more parsimonious solution. Such emerging stable rhythms in neuromotor subsystems may serve as building blocks or dynamic primitives for complex actions. The tendency for humans to spontaneously fall into a rhythm in voluntary movements is consistent with the ubiquity of rhythms at all levels of the physiological system. NEW & NOTEWORTHY When performing a series of throws to hit a target, humans spontaneously merged successive actions into a continuous approximately periodic pattern. The degree of rhythmicity and stability correlated with hitting accuracy. Enforcing irregular pauses between throws to disrupt the rhythm deteriorated performance. Stable rhythmic patterns may simplify control of movement and serve as dynamic primitives for more complex actions. This observation reveals that biological systems tend to exhibit rhythmic behavior consistent with a plethora of physiological processes.

Analysis of intermittent instabilities in switching power converters using Filippov’s method

Purpose In the design and development stage of the power converter systems, an abnormal intermittency is naturally experienced in nonautonomous system because of coupling of the interference signals. The study of identifying the possible conditions at which such an undesirable operation emerges is vital. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to explore the intermittent instabilities that evolve in the voltage-mode controlled quadratic buck converter when the sinusoidal interference signal coupled in reference voltage. Design/methodology/approach Voltage-mode controlled quadratic buck converter with the sinusoidal interference signal coupled in reference voltage manifests a symmetrical period-doubling bifurcation in intermittent periods for significant interference signal strength with the frequency near to the switching frequency or its rational multiples. The complete dynamics of the system is investigated for the various inference signal frequencies by numerical simulations. Findings Here, the intermittent instabilities are verified using a simple Filippov’s method with supporting evidence of Floquet multipliers (eigenvalues) movement. The analytical result obtained is found to agree well with the simulation results. Practical implications Power supplies are liable to an ambiguous complex behavior when it is seldom protected against the interference signal. The experimental study has made an attempt to explicit a detailed behavior observed in voltage-mode controlled quadratic buck converter when a sinusoidal intruding signal of different amplitude and frequency are coupled with the reference voltage. Such an analysis gives considerable focus for the power electronics engineers to meet the design requirements. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, all the research works on intermittent instabilities in power converters are analyzed only using conventional method of Poincare map technique which emerges to be complicated when the order of the system is higher. Alternatively, in this paper, Filippov’s technique is used for stability analysis of periodic orbit. The evolution of bifurcation point is predicted by the calculating the Floquet multipliers of monodromy matrix, and it is known to achieve the same objective as the Poincare map technique in much more straightforward way.

Walking with wider steps changes foot placement control, increases kinematic variability and does not improve linear stability

Walking humans respond to pulls or pushes on their upper body by changing where they place their foot on the next step. Usually, they place their foot further along the direction of the upper body perturbation. Here, we examine how this foot placement response is affected by the average step width during walking. We performed experiments with humans walking on a treadmill, both normally and at five different prescribed step widths. We prescribed step widths by requiring subjects to step on lines drawn on the treadmill belt. We inferred a linear model between the torso marker state at mid-stance and the next foot position. The coefficients in this linear model (which are analogous to feedback gains for foot placement) changed with increasing step width as follows. The sideways foot placement response to a given sideways torso deviation decreased. The fore–aft foot placement response to a given fore–aft torso deviation also decreased. Coupling between fore–aft foot placement and sideways torso deviations increased. These changes in foot placement feedback gains did not significantly affect walking stability as quantified by Floquet multipliers (which estimate how quickly the system corrects a small perturbation), despite increasing foot placement variance and upper body motion variance (kinematic variability).