2018/06/05 by Carlos D. Díaz‐Marín, Carlos D. Díaz-Marín, Díaz-Marín, Carlos D. +2
Computer Science · Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Adaptation and Self-Organizing Systems (nlin.AO) #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #Classical Physics (physics.class-ph) #Dynamical Systems (math.DS) #FOS: Mathematics #FOS: Physical sciences #Fluid Dynamics (physics.flu-dyn) #Micro and Nano Robotics #Nonlinear Dynamics and Pattern Formation #math.DS #nlin.AO #physics.class-ph #physics.flu-dyn
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1806.01527
21 pages, 8 figures. This is an extension and refinement of work presented at the DSTA 2017 conference arXiv:1709.07120
arxiv created 2018/06/05 · openalex publication_date 2018/06/05 · arxiv updated 2018/06/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Self-oscillatory and self-rotatory process driven by non-conservative forces have usually been treated as applications of the concepts of Hopf bifurcation and limit cycle in the theory of differential equations, or as instability problems in feedback control. Here we explore a complimentary approach, based on physical considerations of work extraction and thermodynamic irreversibility. From this perspective, the fact that a system can be destabilized by dissipation does not appear as a mathematical paradox, but rather as a straightforward consequence of the dissipative medium's motion. We apply this analysis to various mechanical and hydrodynamical systems of interest and show how it clarifies questions on which the literature remains contentious, such as the conditions for the appearance of non-conservative positional forces, or the roles of viscosity and turbulence in the raising of ocean waves by the wind.