Dynamic hysteresis and transitions controlled by asymmetry in potential barrier shaping

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how asymmetry in the potential barrier of a bistable system can induce dynamic hysteresis and transitions, allowing precise control over hysteresis behavior through potential design.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method to control dynamic hysteresis by implementing specific asymmetry in the potential barrier, a concept not previously explored.

Findings

Asymmetry in potential wells induces symmetry breaking in hysteresis.

Controlled asymmetry allows regulation of hysteresis extent.

Dynamic transitions occur under moderate conditions with proper asymmetry.

Abstract

Our study unveils the precise role of the underlying potential in regulating the fundamental processes of dynamic hysteresis, which manifests in numerous natural and designed systems. We identify that it is possible to induce symmetry breaking in dynamic hysteresis, and consequently to observe dynamic transitions under moderate conditions, which is absent for the symmetric case, if appropriate asymmetry is implemented in the design of the underlying potential. This kind of asymmetry appears through the disparate widths of the two wells of the intrinsic bistable potential governing the dynamics and the barrier separating them. It is characteristically distinct from the potential in which the two minima are energetically dissimilar. Our understanding suggests that only the intrinsic asymmetry of the former type can substantially influence the elemental dynamics of the processes to generate significant effects on the outcomes. Our study presents a novel approach to quantitatively regulate the outputs, to increase or decrease the extent of dynamic hysteresis, based on the requirements, by effectively controlling the proper asymmetry of the intrinsic potential.