Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Forced Oscillations

Forced Oscillations

When an oscillator is forced with a periodic driving force, the motion may seem chaotic. The motions of such oscillators are known as transients. After the transients die out, the oscillator reaches a steady state, where the motion is periodic, and the displacement is determined.

Damped Oscillations

Damped Oscillations

In the real world, oscillations seldom follow true simple harmonic motion. A system that continues its motion indefinitely without losing its amplitude is termed undamped. However, friction of some sort usually dampens the motion, so it fades away or needs more force to continue. For example, a guitar string stops oscillating a few seconds after being plucked. Similarly, one must continually push a swing to keep a child swinging on a playground.
Although friction and other non-conservative...

Types of Damping

Types of Damping

If the amount of damping in a system is gradually increased, the period and frequency start to become affected because damping opposes, and hence slows, the back and forth motion (the net force is smaller in both directions). If there is a very large amount of damping, the system does not even oscillate; instead, it slowly moves toward equilibrium. In brief, an overdamped system moves slowly towards equilibrium, whereas an underdamped system moves quickly to equilibrium but will oscillate about...

Oscillations about an Equilibrium Position

Oscillations about an Equilibrium Position

Stability is an important concept in oscillation. If an equilibrium point is stable, a slight disturbance of an object that is initially at the stable equilibrium point will cause the object to oscillate around that point. For an unstable equilibrium point, if the object is disturbed slightly, it will not return to the equilibrium point. There are three conditions for equilibrium points—stable, unstable, and half-stable. A half-stable equilibrium point is also unstable, but is named so because...

Oscillations In An LC Circuit

Oscillations In An LC Circuit

An idealized LC circuit of zero resistance can oscillate without any source of emf by shifting the energy stored in the circuit between the electric and magnetic fields. In such an LC circuit, if the capacitor contains a charge q before the switch is closed, then all the energy of the circuit is initially stored in the electric field of the capacitor. This energy is given by

Simple Harmonic Motion

Simple Harmonic Motion

Simple harmonic motion is the name given to oscillatory motion for a system where the net force can be described by Hooke's law. If the net force can be described by Hooke's law and there is no damping (by friction or other non-conservative forces), then a simple harmonic oscillator will oscillate with equal displacement on either side of the equilibrium position. To derive an equation for period and frequency, the equation of motion is used. The period of a simple harmonic oscillator is given...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Incorporating real-world scenarios during initial validation stages of point-of-care human papillomavirus (HPV) screening tests: a scoping review.

Sexually transmitted infections·2026

Same author

Pustular Eruption after Port Placement.

Dermatology practical & conceptual·2026

Same author

Spiral phase infrared imaging with undetected photons using a visible wavelength spatial light modulator.

Scientific reports·2026

Same author

Systematic review of point-of-need molecular diagnostics for rotavirus and enteric adenoviruses F40/F41.

BMC infectious diseases·2026

Same author

One-pot CRISPR-based point of care platform for rapid, specific and sensitive detection of HPV 16 without pre-amplification.

Microsystems & nanoengineering·2026

Same author

Dynamic velocity response of E. coli powered by proteorhodopsin.

Biophysical reports·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 18, 2026

Assembly and Characterization of an External Driver for the Generation of Sub-Kilohertz Oscillatory Flow in Microchannels

Assembly and Characterization of an External Driver for the Generation of Sub-Kilohertz Oscillatory Flow in Microchannels

Published on: January 28, 2022

Partial synchronization of stochastic oscillators through hydrodynamic coupling.

Arran Curran¹, Michael P Lee, Miles J Padgett

¹School of Physics and Astronomy, SUPA, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom. arran.curran@glasgow.ac.uk

Physical Review Letters

|September 26, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Holographic optical tweezers create a potential energy landscape for brownian particles. Hydrodynamic coupling between two systems leads to partial synchronization, revealing pathways for easier structural rearrangement.

More Related Videos

A Microfluidics Approach for the Functional Investigation of Signaling Oscillations Governing Somitogenesis

A Microfluidics Approach for the Functional Investigation of Signaling Oscillations Governing Somitogenesis

Published on: March 19, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 18, 2026

Assembly and Characterization of an External Driver for the Generation of Sub-Kilohertz Oscillatory Flow in Microchannels

Assembly and Characterization of an External Driver for the Generation of Sub-Kilohertz Oscillatory Flow in Microchannels

Published on: January 28, 2022

A Microfluidics Approach for the Functional Investigation of Signaling Oscillations Governing Somitogenesis

A Microfluidics Approach for the Functional Investigation of Signaling Oscillations Governing Somitogenesis

Published on: March 19, 2021

Area of Science:

Physics, Soft Matter
Statistical Mechanics
Nanotechnology

Background:

Brownian motion describes random particle movement due to thermal fluctuations.
Optical tweezers use focused laser beams to manipulate microscopic objects.
Bistable potentials create two stable states, influencing particle dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the dynamics of a brownian particle in a static bistable optical potential.
To explore the effects of hydrodynamic coupling on synchronized systems.
To identify emergent pathways facilitating structural rearrangement.

Main Methods:

Construction of a static bistable optical potential energy landscape using holographic optical tweezers.
Observation of thermally activated transitions of a brownian particle between two energy minima.
Analysis of hydrodynamic coupling between two independent optical tweezer systems.

Main Results:

The brownian particle exhibited transitions between energy minima, driven by thermal energy.
Hydrodynamic interactions between coupled systems resulted in partial synchronization.
Synchronization facilitated the emergence of pathways with increased particle mobility.

Conclusions:

Bistable optical potentials can model complex particle dynamics.
Hydrodynamic coupling can induce emergent collective behavior and enhance mobility.
This work provides insights into overcoming energy barriers in confined systems.