See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/225415541

Electromagnetic Synchronization of Slip

Article  in  Nonlinear Dynamics · June 2006

DOI: 10.1007/s11071-006-2009-2

CITATION READS

1 87

5 authors, including:

T. Chelidze Teimuraz Matcharashvili

M. Nodia Institute of Geophysics M. Nodia Institute of Geophysics
194 PUBLICATIONS   2,397 CITATIONS    90 PUBLICATIONS   715 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

M. Devidze
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University
36 PUBLICATIONS   188 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Earthquake forecast View project

Spatial and Temporal Variability of Geodynamical Field and Its Influence on the Deep Aquifers and Geomagnetic Field View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Teimuraz Matcharashvili on 19 May 2014.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Nonlinear Dynamics (2006) 44: 293–298
DOI: 10.1007/s11071-006-2009-2 
c Springer 2006

Electromagnetic Synchronization of Slip

∗
T. CHELIDZE1,2, , T. MATCHARASHVILI1 , O. LURSMANASHVILI2 , J. GOGIASHVILI1 ,
and M. DEVIDZE1
1 Institute
of Geophysics of Georgian Academy of Sciences, 1 Alexidze str, 0193 Tbilisi, Georgia; 2 Tbilisi State University,
1, Chavchavadze Ave, 380028, Tbilisi, Georgia; ∗ Author for correspondence (e-mail: chelidze@ig.acnet.ge;
fax: +995-32-332867)

(Received: 24 August 2004; accepted: 19 April 2005)

Abstract. Character of changes of slip regimes in experiments on laboratory spring-slider system under external weak periodical
forcing have been investigated. Here we report the experimental evidence of phase synchronization in slip dynamics, induced by
external periodic electromagnetic (EM) impact.

Key words: dynamics, nonlinearity, phase synchronization, spring-slider system

1. Introduction

It is well known that many physical, biological or technical systems often respond in a very original
way to external driving signals. One of the possible responses is synchronization. For the last decade
synchronization phenomena of complex dynamical systems attracted much interest [1]. At present
various types of synchronization are known, e.g. complete or identical synchronization, generalized
synchronization, lag and phase synchronization [1–3].
In the present study phase synchronization in the experimental spring-slider system is investigated.
Recently, the experiments on laboratory spring-slider system subjected to a constant pull, with super-
imposed weak mechanical or EM periodic forces have shown that the instability (here, slip) of the
mechanical system driven close to the critical state can either be initiated or hampered under strong
external EM pulses [4, 5]. This observation, together with earlier reports about significant influence of
strong external electrical impact on the dynamics of seismic systems mechanics [5, 6], indicates that
the EM field can affect and even control the mechanical stability of systems that are close to the critical
state.
It was found experimentally that external periodic EM forcing leads to the clear phase synchronization
of slip of spring-slider system [5].

2. Materials and Methods

Experimental set up of our experiments represents a system of two plates of roughly finished basalt
(with average height of surface asperities of 0.1–0.2 mm), where a constant pulling force was applied
to the upper (sliding) plate [5, 6]. In addition, the same plate was subjected to electric periodic (50
Hz) perturbations with variable amplitude, which was much weaker when compared to the pulling
force.
 294 T. Chelidze et al.

Figure 1. (a) Acoustic emission during slip and (b) variable external periodical EM influence (dB).
Figure 2. Example of complete phase synchronization under periodical EM influence (extended central part of record of Figure 1). (a) Recording of acoustic emission during slip with
EM impact of variable amplitude and (b) external periodical EM field (dB).
Electromagnetic Synchronization of Slip 295
296 T. Chelidze et al.

Figure 3. Part of time series of consecutive amplitudes in acoustic signal.

Different regimes of slip were excited depending on the amplitude of applied weak external EM
influence (Figure 1). Slip events were recorded as acoustic emission bursts.
Acoustic emission waveforms as well as sinusoidal EM signal ( f = 50 Hz) were digitized at 44 kHz.
In order to be able to use easiest approach for estimating of phases we have transformed digitized
waveforms in order to have well pronounced sharp picks as markers. For this purpose, after subtraction of
noise, consecutive wave trains from acoustic waveforms were picked up. Then time series of maximums
in wave trains were composed (Figure 3). The same was done for external periodic signal. After all,
because our dataset was transformed to a spike train, containing distinct markers we have used phase
difference determination technique described in Pikovsky [1].
As a statistical measure of the quality of synchronization we have calculated the full width at half
maximum (FWHM) of probability density distribution of phase differences.
In order to have additional quantitative tests for temporal variation of phase synchronization, the
Shannon entropy


N
S=− Pi log (Pi ),
i=1

where P i is the probability of event to occur within the i-th box was calculated for mentioned phase
difference sequence. Then in order to evaluate the strength of functional dependence between phase
variation of analyzed waveforms and external sinusoidal signal we used a measure of statistical inde-
pendence between two variables, the averaged mutual information:


N  
P(x(i), x(i + T ))
I (T ) = P(x(i), x(i + T )) log2
i=1
P(x(i))P(x(i + T ))

[7, 8], where P(x(i)) is probability of finding x(i) measurement in time series, P(x(i), x(i + T ))
is joint probability of finding measurements x(i) and x(i + T ) in time series and T is the time
lag.

3. Results and Discussion

The regimes of slip recorded as acoustic emission vary from the perfect synchronization of slip events
with the perturbing periodic EM impact, to the complete desynchronization of microslip events and
perturbations.
 Electromagnetic Synchronization of Slip 297

Figure 4. (a) Phase difference between acoustic emission and sinusoidal signal. (b) FWHM) of probability density distribution of
phase difference, (c) Shannon entropy of phase difference, (d) Mutual Information variation between phases of acoustic emission
and external sinusoidal forcing.

As it follows from our results, in our experiments on the spring-slider system we deal with phase
synchronization of microslip events. Indeed, well defined horizontal part of synchrogram in Figure 4a,
represents time, during which the acoustic emission becomes phase synchronized to the external sinu-
soidal influence in the wide range of their amplitudes.
 298 T. Chelidze et al.
It is known that probability density distribution must be more narrow for synchronized signal com-
paring to non synchronized one. As it follows from Figure 4b, density distribution is indeed much more
narrow for the part of Figure 4a, recognized as synchronized.
Moreover, clear decrease of entropy value indicates that dynamics of acoustic emission becomes
much more regular for this part of acoustic emission data set (Figure 4c).
It is interesting that there are some transient effects before and after phase synchronization in acoustic
emission that are visible as two clear minima in the values of functional interdependence between
acoustic emission and EM sinusoidal forcing (Figure 4d).

4. Conclusions

Influence of external EM field on spring-slider system can significantly affect its mechanical stability. In
a wide range of amplitudes external periodic forcing leads to clear synchronization of microslip events.
The effect of phase synchronization was established by several methods of analysis.

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by INTAS grant: #0748, 2002.

References

1. Pikovsky, A., Rosenblum, M. G., and Kurth., J., Synchronization: Universal Concept in Nonlinear Science, Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge, 2001.
2. Rosenblum, M. G., Pikovsky, A., and Kurth, J., ‘Phase synchronization of chaotic oscillators’, Physical Review Letters, 76,
1996, 1804–1808.
3. Rosenblum, M., Pikovsky, A., and Kurths, J., ‘Phase synchronization in driven and coupled chaotic oscillators’ IEEE Trans-
actions on Circuits and Systems-I, 44(10), 1997, 874–881.
4. Chelidze, T., Varamashvili, N., Devidze, M., Tchelidze, Z., Chikhladze, V., and Matcharashvili, T., ‘Laboratory study of
electromagnetic initiation of slip’, Annals of Geophysics, 45, 2002, 587–599.
5. Chelidze, T. and Lursmanashvili, V., ‘Electromagnetic and mechanical control of slip: Laboratory experiments with slider
system’, Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics 20, 2003, 1–8.
6. Chelidze, T. and Matcharashvili, T., ‘Electromagnetic control of earthquakes dynamics?’ Cambridge University Press, Com-
puters and Geosciences 29(5), 2003, 587–593.
7. Kantz, H. and Schreiber, T., Nonlinear Time Series Analysis. CUP Cambridge, 1997.
8. Cover, T. M. and Thomas, J. A., Elements of Information Theory. Wiley, New York, 1991.

View publication stats