Experimental observation of noise precursors for virtual Hopf phenomena near period-doubling bifurcations in modulated diode lasers

Amplification of thermal noise by vesicle dynamics

A novel noise amplification mechanism resulting from the interaction of thermal fluctuations and nonlinear vesicle dynamics is reported. It is observed in a time-dependent vesicle state called trembling (TR). High spatial resolution and very long time series of TR compared to the vesicle period allow us to quantitatively analyze the generation and amplification of spatial and temporal modes of the vesicle shape perturbations. During a compression part of each TR cycle, a vesicle finds itself on the edge of the wrinkling instability, where thermally excited spatial modes are amplified.

Experimental observation of increased fluctuations in an order parameter before epochs of extended brain synchronization

The identification of epileptic seizure precursors has potential clinical relevance. It is conjectured that seizures may be represented by dynamical bifurcations and that an adequate order parameter to characterize brain dynamics is the phase difference in the oscillatory activity of neural systems. In this study, the critical point hypothesis that seizures, or more generally periods of widespread high synchronization, represent bifurcations is empirically tested by monitoring the growth of fluctuations in the putative order parameter of phase differences between magnetoencephalographic and electroencephalographic signals in nearby brain regions in patients with epilepsy and normal subjects during hyperventilation. Implications of the results with regard to epileptic phenomena are discussed.

Prebifurcation noise amplification in a fiber laser

We report on the experimental evidence of noise amplification in an erbium-doped fiber laser in the vicinity of saddle-node, period-doubling, and crisis bifurcations. We demonstrate this interesting phenomenon by analyzing the laser bifurcation diagrams and power spectra. Numerical simulations on the base of an advanced laser model display good agreement with the experimental results.

Direct observation of a precursor in a complex system

A precursor is a kind of instability in a nonequilibrium system observed prior to a bifurcation. It has been observed in important natural phenomena such as earthquakes and epileptic seizures. In most cases just qualitative results were reported, with the exception of some quantitative observations of noisy precursors. We report the observation of precursors excited by a deterministic perturbation. Quantitative characterization of this type of precursor is important in predicting a bifurcation in advance. This predicting ability comes from a dynamical structure present on the perturbed system.