Enhancing and controlling parametric instabilities in mechanical systems

We gain new fundamental insights on parametric instabilities that are at the heart of many physical phenomena from dynamic buckling slender structures in periodic compression to emergence Faraday waves or spontaneous symmetry breaking Floquet time crystals. Combining theoretical models and precision desktop experiments, we explain how periodically vary evolution function a dynamical system enhance get control instabilities. show proof concept is an electromagnetic pendulum: (i) observe extremely high orders resonance, even presence dissipation, (ii) trigger efficiently sustain natural vibrations oscillator. The presented concepts being universal, they could offer functionalities various fields any scale, actuation soft robotics vibrational motions microelectromechanical resonators.