Add BrightSurf on Google Email

Power grids to epidemics: study shows small patterns trigger systemic failures

Researchers identified small clusters of interacting components that act as amplifiers, triggering outsized reactions in complex systems. These clusters can control how strongly a system reacts after a disruption, and their presence can determine the stability of entire systems.

SourceFlorida Atlantic University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateFeb 18, 2026

FAU engineers develop smarter AI to redefine control in complex systems

Researchers at FAU have developed a smarter AI framework that can manage complex systems with unequal levels of authority and adapt to imperfect information. The framework, based on reinforcement learning and game theory, reduces unnecessary computation while maintaining system stability and optimal strategy outcomes.

SourceFlorida Atlantic University·JournalIEEE Transactions on Systems Man and Cybernetics Systems·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateSep 23, 2025

Tiny vibrations have a massive impact: Transmitting clear signals over long distances using nonlinear math

Researchers at Nagoya University discovered that combining two tiny vibrating elements can amplify their signal up to 100 million times, enabling the transmission of clear signals over long distances. This finding could innovate long-distance communications and remote medical devices without requiring high energy consumption.

SourceNagoya University·JournalChaos An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science·DateMay 7, 2025

Integrated encryption and communication framework achieves record 1 Tb/s secure transmission over 1,200-km optical fiber

Researchers developed an IEAC framework combining robust security with high-capacity transmission performance, achieving a record 1 Tb/s secure transmission over 1,200 km of optical fibre. The system eliminates the trade-off between security and speed by integrating encryption into the communication process.

SourceScience China Press·JournalNational Science Review·DateApr 21, 2025

Development of a chaotic light receiver for secure communication in hostile environments

A team of researchers from Télécom Paris and Politecnico di Milano has developed a system of optical micro-antennas integrated into a programmable photonic chip, which can adapt in real time to restore chaotic signals. This innovation paves the way for chaos-based encryption for secure high-speed communication in hostile environments.

SourcePolitecnico di Milano·JournalNature·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateApr 8, 2025

From order to chaos: Understanding the principles behind collective motion in bacteria

Researchers discovered how bacterial swarms transition from organized movement to chaotic flow as confinement radius increases. The study reveals intermediate states between order and turbulence through large-scale experiments, computer modeling, and mathematical analysis. These findings provide insights into the universal properties o...

SourceInstitute of Science Tokyo·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeExperimental study·DateMar 17, 2025

Grating the cheese of networks: New tool finds critical points in everything from cybersecurity to ecological conservation

Researchers introduce 'fitness centrality,' a faster method to identify crucial elements in any network, with practical applications in supply chains, ecological conservation, and cybersecurity. The approach streamlines analysis, making it practical for vast networks.

SourceComplexity Science Hub·JournalJournal of Physics Complexity·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateJan 28, 2025

Synchronization in neural nets: Mathematical insight into neuron readout drives significant improvements in prediction accuracy

Researchers introduced a novel approach to enhance reservoir computing, incorporating a generalized readout that offers improved accuracy and robustness compared to conventional methods. The new method uses a nonlinear combination of reservoir variables to uncover deeper patterns in input data.

SourceTokyo University of Science·JournalScientific Reports·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateJan 16, 2025

"islands" of regularity discovered in the famously chaotic three-body problem

Astronomers have discovered patterns of regularity within the chaotic three-body problem, which is a fundamental challenge in physics. The researcher's findings suggest that certain configurations of three massive objects can lead to predictable outcomes, offering new insights into astrophysics and the behavior of black holes.

SourceUniversity of Copenhagen - Faculty of Science·JournalAstronomy and Astrophysics·DateOct 10, 2024

Quantum physics: Describing chaotic systems

A research team led by Professor Monika Aidelsburger and Professor Immanuel Bloch found indications that chaotic many-body systems in the quantum realm can be described using fluctuating hydrodynamics. This approach simplifies the macroscopic description of such systems, obviating the need to engage with microscopic interactions.

SourceLudwig-Maximilians-Universität München·JournalNature Physics·TypeExperimental study·DateSep 9, 2024

Trapped in the middle: billiards with memory

Researchers from the University of Amsterdam have introduced a billiards game with memory, where the ball may never cross its own previous path. This leads to a trapping effect, making the system chaotic and fascinating, with many open mathematical questions and potential applications in physics and biophysics.

SourceUniversiteit van Amsterdam·JournalPhysical Review Letters·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateApr 11, 2024

Verifying the work of quantum computers

Researchers have developed a new method to verify the accuracy of complex quantum systems using classical computers. The method allows for estimating error rates and is mathematically sound, providing a benchmark for analyzing errors in quantum computing systems. This breakthrough enables improvements to be measured effectively.

Giant planets cast a deadly pall

New studies show that giant gas planets in nearby star systems can prevent life on smaller, rocky planet neighbors by kicking them out of orbit and wreaking havoc on their climates. Researchers found that four giant planets in the HD 141399 system are likely to destroy the chances for life on Earth-like planets.

SourceUniversity of California - Riverside·JournalThe Astronomical Journal·DateOct 31, 2023

From chaos to light

A team of researchers from EPFL has found a way to harness the unique features of chaotic frequency combs to implement unambiguous and interference-immune massively parallel laser ranging. This innovative approach offers significant advantages over conventional methods, enabling hundreds of multicolor independent optical carriers.

SourceEcole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne·JournalNature Photonics·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 20, 2023

Unlocking the secrets of wave chaos: A breakthrough in dynamical localization transitions and berry curvature-induced transport

Researchers have made a significant breakthrough in wave chaos research, unveiling a new platform for studying dynamical localization transitions in periodic cavity arrays. The study explores the wave chaos of deformed optical microcavities coupled to crystalline momentum, revealing potential implications for quantum information and co...

Chaos on the nanometer scale

Researchers at TU Wien have detected clear indications of chaos in chemical reactions on nanometer-scale rhodium crystals, a phenomenon previously unseen in atomic scale systems. The coupling behavior can be controlled by changing the hydrogen concentration, leading to a transition from ordered to chaotic behavior.

SourceVienna University of Technology·JournalNature Communications·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 27, 2023

Theory sorts order from chaos in complex quantum systems

A new mathematical theory developed by Peter Wolynes and David Logan predicts the nature of motions in a chlorophyll molecule when it absorbs energy from sunlight. The findings suggest that there are exceptions where simple motions persist for long times, influencing processes like photosynthesis.

SourceUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateFeb 27, 2023

Theory can sort order from chaos in complex quantum systems

A new mathematical theory developed by scientists at Rice University and Oxford University can predict the nature of motions in complex quantum systems. The theory applies to any sufficiently complex quantum system and may give insights into building better quantum computers, designing solar cells, or improving battery performance.

SourceRice University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateFeb 23, 2023

Helpful disturbance: How non-linear dynamics can augment edge sensor time series

Engineers at Tokyo Institute of Technology have developed a technique to support the classification performance of neural networks operating on sensor time series by feeding recorded signals into elementary non-linear dynamical systems. This approach increases the classification performance by augmenting the data through additional tim...

SourceTokyo Institute of Technology·JournalChaos Solitons & Fractals·TypeExperimental study·DateJan 25, 2023

A butterfly flaps its wings and scientists make jewelry

Researchers from the University of Calabria used 3D printing to turn chaotic structures into unique jewelry, exploring the beauty of complex systems. The project combines art and science, allowing students to develop their knowledge and creativity by building and designing their own Chua circuit-inspired jewelry.

SourceAmerican Institute of Physics·JournalChaos An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science·DateJan 24, 2023

Chaos gives the quantum world a temperature

Computer simulations demonstrate that chaos plays a crucial role in the emergence of thermodynamic behavior from quantum theory. A quantum system with indistinguishable particles and a thermometer-like particle shows a temperature distribution consistent with Boltzmann's rules only when the system exhibits chaos.

SourceVienna University of Technology·JournalEntropy·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateDec 14, 2022

The whole in a part: Synchronizing chaos through a narrow slice of spectrum

The study demonstrates that chaos synchronization can occur even under constraints of narrow frequency intervals, giving rise to phenomena that could be leveraged for useful operations in ensembles of distant nodes. This breakthrough has potential applications in distributed sensing, such as gathering readings from distant sensors.

SourceTokyo Institute of Technology·JournalChaos Solitons & Fractals·TypeExperimental study·DateNov 25, 2022

Perturbing the Bernoulli shift map in binary systems

A recent study by Tokyo University of Science researchers provides theoretical foundations for effective parameter tuning in the Bernoulli shift map. They used modular arithmetic to determine optimal parameter values for preserving chaos, with implications for other chaotic maps like the tent and logistic maps.

SourceTokyo University of Science·JournalChaos Solitons & Fractals·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateNov 3, 2022

Machine learning helps scientists peer (a second) into the future

Researchers at Ohio State University have developed a new machine learning method called next-generation reservoir computing that can learn spatiotemporal chaotic systems in a fraction of the time. The algorithm is more accurate and uses less training data, making it easier to predict complex physical processes like Earth's weather.

SourceOhio State University·JournalChaos An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateSep 28, 2022

Clarifying the chaos of narwhal behavior

Long-term monitoring data reveals previously undetected diurnal patterns in narwhal behavior, including changes in surface activity and diving patterns influenced by sea ice and squid migration. The study's method can be applied to assess the challenges faced by narwhals and other Arctic animals due to climate change.

SourceHokkaido University·JournalPLOS Computational Biology·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateSep 22, 2022

Study finds chaos is more common in ecological systems than previously thought

Scientists analyzed over 30% of populations in an ecological database and found evidence of chaotic dynamics, contradicting previous findings. The research suggests that intrinsic limits exist to ecological forecasting and caution against equilibrium-based approaches for conservation and management, particularly for short-lived species.

SourceUniversity of California - Santa Cruz·JournalNature Ecology & Evolution·TypeMeta-analysis·DateJun 27, 2022

SwRI researcher shows how elliptical craters could shed light on age of Saturn’s moons

A SwRI study examines elliptical craters on Saturn's moons Tethys and Dione, finding unique patterns that indicate the satellites' age and formation conditions. The research suggests a planetocentric impactor population, pointing to the importance of considering gravity-driven impacts when studying object ages.

SourceSouthwest Research Institute·JournalEarth and Planetary Science Letters·TypeObservational study·DateJun 21, 2022

Topological synchronization of chaotic systems

Physicists discovered that chaotic systems can synchronize due to the emergence of stable fractal structures. As systems are coupled, these fractals assimilate, causing synchronization. Strong coupling leads to complete synchronization through the 'Zipper Effect', where dominant fractals become identical.

SourceBar-Ilan University·JournalScientific Reports·DateApr 22, 2022

Chaos theory provides hints for controlling the weather

Researchers have used computer simulations to show that small adjustments to certain variables can modify weather systems, mimicking the 'butterfly attractor' phenomenon in chaos theory. This approach could lead to weather control technology and prevent extreme windstorms.

SourceRIKEN·JournalNonlinear Processes in Geophysics·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateMar 28, 2022

Predicting the chaos in Tourette Syndrome tics

Researchers have replicated and expanded on previous work to show that tics associated with Tourette syndrome have a fractal pattern, which can predict disease severity. This discovery could lead to a diagnostic tool for doctors to analyze tic patterns and diagnose patients with Tourette's

SourceWashington University in St. Louis·JournalJournal of The Royal Society Interface·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateFeb 23, 2022