Synchronization of a forced self-sustained Duffing oscillator

Abstract

We study the dynamics of a mechanical oscillator with linear and cubic forces – the Duffing oscillator — subject to a feedback mechanism that allows the system to sustain autonomous periodic motion with well-defined amplitude and frequency. First, we characterize the autonomous motion for both hardening and softening nonlinearities. Then, we analyze the oscillator’s synchronizability by an external periodic force. We find a regime where, unexpectedly, the frequency range where synchronized motion is possible becomes wider as the amplitude of oscillations grows. This effect of nonlinearities may find application in technological uses of mechanical Duffing oscillators – for instance, in the design of time-keeping devices at the microscale – which we briefly review.