arXiv subjects

Cecilia Cabeza

Publications and source records attributed to Cecilia Cabeza.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

The polarization of light and the Malus' law using smartphones

Originally an empirical law, nowadays Malus' law is seen as a key experiment to demonstrate the transverse nature of electromagnetic waves, as well as the intrinsic connection between optics and electromagnetism. In this work, a simple and inexpensive setup is proposed to quantitatively verify the nature of polarized light. A flat computer screen serves as a source of linear polarized light and a smartphone (possessing ambient light and orientation sensors) is used, thanks to its built-in sensors, to experiment with polarized light and verify the Malus' law.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2015

Electronically--implemented coupled logistic maps

The logistic map is a paradigmatic dynamical system originally conceived to model the discrete-time demographic growth of a population, which shockingly, shows that discrete chaos can emerge from trivial low-dimensional non-linear dynamics. In this work, we design and characterize a simple, low-cost, easy-to-handle, electronic implementation of the logistic map. In particular, our implementation allows for straightforward circuit-modifications to behave as different one-dimensional discrete-time systems. Also, we design a coupling block in order to address the behavior of two coupled maps, although, our design is unrestricted to the discrete-time system implementation and it can be generalized to handle coupling between many dynamical systems, as in a complex system. Our findings show that the isolated and coupled maps' behavior has a remarkable agreement between the experiments and the simulations, even when fine-tuning the parameters with a resolution of $\sim 10^{-3}$. We support these conclusions by comparing the Lyapunov exponents, periodicity of the orbits, and phase portraits of the numerical and experimental data for a wide range of coupling strengths and map's parameters.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2015

Exploring the atmosphere using smartphones

The characteristics of the inner layer of the atmosphere, the troposphere, are determinant for the earth's life. In this experience we explore the first hundreds of meters using a smartphone mounted on a quadcopter. Both the altitude and the pressure are obtained using the smartphone's sensors. We complement these measures with data collected from the flight information system of an aircraft. The experimental results are compared with the International Standard Atmosphere and other simple approximations: isothermal and constant density atmospheres.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2015

The Atwood machine revisited using smartphones

The Atwood machine is a simple device used for centuries to demonstrate the Newton's second law. It consists of two supports containing different masses joined by a string. Here, we propose an experiment in which a smartphone is fixed to one support. With the aid of the built-in accelerometer of the smartphone the vertical acceleration is registered. By redistributing the masses of the supports, a linear relationship between the mass difference and the vertical acceleration is obtained. In this experiment, the use of a smartphone contributes to enhance a classical demonstration.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2014

Organization and clasification of trajectories in the time-delayed Mackey-Glass system

Using a novel electronic implementation of a well-known time-delayed system, the Mackey-Glass (MG) system, we investigate the organization of the trajectories in the phase space, and classify the coexisting solutions, both, in observations and in model simulations. The numerical simultations are performed using a discrete-time equation that approximates the exact solutions of the MG model and in particular, models the delay line in the electronic circuit. In wide parameter regions, different periodic or aperiodic solutions, but with similar waveforms exhibiting the alternation of peaks of different amplitudes, coexist. A symbolic algorithm is proposed to classify those solutions. The system's phase-space was explored by varying the parameter values of two families of initial functions.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2014

The role of intermediaries in the synchronization of pulse-coupled oscillators

The role of intermediaries in the synchronization of small groups of light controlled oscillators (LCO) is addressed. A single LCO is a two-time-scale phase oscillator. When pulse-coupling two LCOs, the synchronization time decreases monotonously as the coupling strength increases, independent of the initial conditions and frequency detuning. In this work we study numerically the effects that a third LCO induces to the collective behavior of the system. We analyze the new system by dealing with directed heterogeneous couplings among the units. We report a novel and robust phenomenon, absent when coupling two LCOs, which consists of a discontinuous relationship between the synchronization time and coupling strength or initial conditions. The mechanism responsible for the appearance of such discontinuities is discussed.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2014

Electronic Implementation of the Mackey-Glass Delayed Model

The celebrated Mackey-Glass model describes the dynamics of physiological \textit{delayed} systems in which the actual evolution depends on the values of the variables at some \textit{previous} times. This kind of systems are usually expressed by delayed differential equations which turn out to be infinite-dimensional. In this contribution, an electronic implementation mimicking the Mackey-Glass model is proposed. New approaches for both the nonlinear function and the delay block are made. Explicit equations for the actual evolution of the implementation are derived. Simulations of the original equation, the circuit equation, and experimental data show great concordance.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2014

Acceleration Measurements Using Smartphone Sensors: Dealing with the Equivalence Principle

Acceleration sensors built into smartphones, i-pads or tablets can conveniently be used in the Physics laboratory. By virtue of the equivalence principle, a sensor fixed in a non-inertial reference frame cannot discern between a gravitational field and an accelerated system. Accordingly, acceleration values read by these sensors must be corrected for the gravitational component. A physical pendulum was studied by way of example, and absolute acceleration and rotation angle values were derived from the measurements made by the accelerometer and gyroscope. Results were corroborated by comparison with those obtained by video analysis. The limitations of different smartphone sensors are discussed.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2008

Influence of coaxial cylinders on vortex breakdown in a closed flow

The effect of fixed cylindrical rods located at the centerline axis on vortex breakdown (VB) is studied experimentally and numerically. We find that the VB is enhanced for very small values of the rod radius $d$, while it is suppressed for values of $d$ beyond a critical value. In order to characterize this effect, the critical Reynolds number for the appearance of vortex breakdown as a function of the radius of the fixed rods and the different aspect ratios was accurately determined, using digital particle image velocimetry. The numerical and experimental results are compared showing an excellent agreement. In addition, a simple model in order to show that this effect also appears in open pipe flows is presented in the appendix.

physics.flu-dyn↗