Oscillatory dynamics of an electrically driven dissipative structure

PLoS One. 2019 May 29;14(5):e0217305. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217305. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

Physical systems open to a flow of energy can exhibit spontaneous symmetry breaking and self-organization. These nonequilibrium self-organized systems are known as dissipative structures. We study the oscillatory mode of an electrically driven dissipative structure. Our system consists of aluminum beads in shallow oil, which, when subjected to a high voltage, self-organize into connected 'tree' structures. The tree structures serve as pathways for the conduction of charge to ground. This system shows a variety of spatio-temporal behaviors, such as oscillating movement of the tree structures. Utilizing a dynamical systems model of the electromagnetic phenomena, we explore a potential mechanism underlying the system's behavior and use the model to make additional empirical predictions. The model reproduces the oscillatory behavior observed in the real system, and the behavior of the real system is consistent with predictions from the model under various constraints. From the empirical results and the mathematical model, we observe a tendency for the system to select modes of behavior with increased dissipation, or higher rates of entropy production, in accord with the proposed Maximum Entropy Production (MEP) Principle.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Electromagnetic Phenomena*
  • Entropy
  • Models, Biological
  • Models, Theoretical

Grants and funding

This work was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s INSPIRE Track 1 Program, Grant number BCS-1344725, awarded to James. Dixon. The funder’s website is: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2014/nsf14106/nsf14106.jsp. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.