Intermittency-induced criticality in a resistor-inductor-diode circuit

Area of Science:

• Nonlinear dynamics
• Condensed matter physics
• Electrical engineering

Background:

• Resistor-inductor-diode (RLD) circuits are fundamental in electronics.
• Understanding their behavior under driven conditions, especially near phase transitions, is crucial.
• Previous studies have explored RLD circuits, but critical phenomena have not been extensively investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate current fluctuations in a driven RLD circuit for signatures of critical behavior.
• To identify the role of driving frequency in inducing phase transitions.
• To analyze the transition between low-frequency rectifier and high-frequency capacitor-like phases.

Main Methods:

• Experimental time series analysis of voltage drop across the resistor.
• Application of critical fluctuation methods analogous to thermal critical systems.
• Fractal analysis using rescaled range (R/RSS) and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA).

Main Results:

• Intermittent criticality was observed within a specific critical frequency band.
• This band signifies a transition from a normal rectifier phase to a full-wave conducting, capacitor-like phase.
• The transition exhibited critical characteristics with a measured exponent p_{l}=1.65, consistent across different analytical methods.

Conclusions:

• The driven RLD circuit exhibits critical behavior, particularly intermittent criticality, at a specific frequency range.
• The observed transition is well-characterized by critical exponents and fractal analysis.
• The findings offer insights into p-n junction operation under dynamic conditions.