Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Stability of Equilibrium Configuration01:23

Stability of Equilibrium Configuration

744
Understanding the stability of equilibrium configurations is a fundamental part of mechanical engineering. In any system, there are three distinct types of equilibrium: stable, neutral, and unstable.
A stable equilibrium occurs when a system tends to return to its original position when given a small displacement, and the potential energy is at its minimum. An example of a stable equilibrium is when a cantilever beam is fixed at one end and a weight is attached to the other end. If the weight...
744
Oscillations about an Equilibrium Position01:04

Oscillations about an Equilibrium Position

6.6K
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...
6.6K
Stability01:28

Stability

344
The time response of a linear time-invariant (LTI) system can be divided into transient and steady-state responses. The transient response represents the system's initial reaction to a change in input and diminishes to zero over time. In contrast, the steady-state response is the behavior that persists after the transient effects have faded.
The stability of an LTI system is determined by the roots of its characteristic equation, known as poles. A system is stable if it produces a bounded...
344
Stability of Equilibrium Configuration: Problem Solving01:13

Stability of Equilibrium Configuration: Problem Solving

938
The stability of equilibrium configurations is an important concept in physics, engineering, and other related fields. In simple terms, it refers to the tendency of an object or system to return to its equilibrium position after being disturbed. The stability of an equilibrium configuration can be analyzed by considering the potential energy function of the system and examining its behavior near the equilibrium point.
Problem-solving in the context of the stability of equilibrium configuration...
938
Dynamic Equilibrium02:20

Dynamic Equilibrium

61.3K
A reversible chemical reaction represents a chemical process that proceeds in both forward (left to right) and reverse (right to left) directions. When the rates of the forward and reverse reactions are equal, the concentrations of the reactant and product species remain constant over time and the system is at equilibrium. A special double arrow is used to emphasize the reversible nature of the reaction. The relative concentrations of reactants and products in equilibrium systems vary greatly;...
61.3K
Solution Equilibrium and Saturation01:59

Solution Equilibrium and Saturation

21.4K
Imagine adding a small amount of sugar to a glass of water, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved, and then adding a bit more. You can repeat this process until the sugar concentration of the solution reaches its natural limit, a limit determined primarily by the relative strengths of the solute-solute, solute-solvent, and solvent-solvent attractive forces. You can be certain that you have reached this limit because, no matter how long you stir the solution, undissolved sugar remains. The...
21.4K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Controlling topological textures of umbilics using spatiotemporal magnetic fields.

Soft matter·2025
Same author

Abrikosov clusters in chiral liquid crystal droplets.

Reports on progress in physics. Physical Society (Great Britain)·2024
Same author

Experimental characterization of quasiperiodic route to chaos in a VECSEL with SESAM.

Optics letters·2024
Same author

Topological defects law for migrating banded vegetation patterns in arid climates.

Science advances·2023
Same author

Emergence of disordered branching patterns in confined chiral nematic liquid crystals.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2023
Same author

Polarization dynamics of a vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser with a saturable absorber mirror.

Optics express·2022

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 5, 2026

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
04:52

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

1.3K

Extended stable equilibrium invaded by an unstable state.

Camila Castillo-Pinto1, Marcel G Clerc1, Gregorio González-Cortés2

  • 1Physics Department and Millennium Institute for Research in Optics, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 487-3, Santiago, Chile.

Scientific Reports
|October 24, 2019
PubMed
Summary

Unstable states can invade stable ones, challenging traditional physics. This phenomenon, driven by lower energy, was observed in pattern-forming systems and liquid crystals.

More Related Videos

Magnetically Induced Rotating Rayleigh-Taylor Instability
06:42

Magnetically Induced Rotating Rayleigh-Taylor Instability

Published on: March 3, 2017

10.0K
Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli
15:00

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

Published on: August 18, 2023

4.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 5, 2026

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
04:52

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

1.3K
Magnetically Induced Rotating Rayleigh-Taylor Instability
06:42

Magnetically Induced Rotating Rayleigh-Taylor Instability

Published on: March 3, 2017

10.0K
Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli
15:00

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

Published on: August 18, 2023

4.2K

Area of Science:

  • Nonlinear dynamics
  • Pattern formation
  • Soft condensed matter physics

Background:

  • Coexistence of multiple states is fundamental to phenomena like domain walls and shock waves.
  • Wave propagation typically assumes stable states invading unstable ones, as seen in combustion or disease spread.
  • Understanding the dynamics of state invasion is crucial for various macroscopic systems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the phenomenon of an unstable state invading a locally stable state in pattern-forming systems.
  • To identify the underlying mechanisms and necessary conditions for this counter-intuitive invasion.
  • To experimentally validate the theoretical predictions using a specific physical system.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a one-dimensional model to analyze the dynamics of state invasion.
  • Theoretical analysis focusing on the role of energy differences between states.
  • Experimental observation using a photo-isomerization of a dye-dopant nematic liquid crystal system.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated that unstable states can generically invade locally stable states in pattern-forming systems.
  • Identified the lower energy of the unstable state as the driving force for invasion.
  • Confirmed this phenomenon occurs in systems exhibiting first-order spatial instability.

Conclusions:

  • The study reveals a novel mechanism where lower-energy unstable states can dominate higher-energy stable states.
  • This finding challenges conventional understanding of wave propagation and stability in macroscopic systems.
  • Experimental observation in liquid crystals provides concrete evidence for this unusual invasion phenomenon.