Symmetry in Signals: A New Insight

Symmetry is a fundamental property of many natural systems, which is observable through signals. In most out-of-equilibrium complex dynamic systems, the observed signals are asymmetric. However, for certain operating modes, some systems have demonstrated a resurgence of symmetry in their signals. Re...

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Main Author: Jean-Marc Girault
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Entropy
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/26/11/941
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author Jean-Marc Girault
author_facet Jean-Marc Girault
author_sort Jean-Marc Girault
collection DOAJ
description Symmetry is a fundamental property of many natural systems, which is observable through signals. In most out-of-equilibrium complex dynamic systems, the observed signals are asymmetric. However, for certain operating modes, some systems have demonstrated a resurgence of symmetry in their signals. Research has naturally focused on examining time invariance to quantify this symmetry. Measures based on the statistical and harmonic properties of signals have been proposed, but most of them focused on harmonic distortion without explicitly measuring symmetry. This paper introduces a new mathematical framework based on group theory for analyzing signal symmetry beyond time invariance. It presents new indicators to evaluate different types of symmetry in non-stochastic symmetric signals. Both periodic and non-periodic symmetric signals are analyzed to formalize the problem. The study raises critical questions about the completeness of symmetry in signals and proposes a new classification for periodic and non-periodic signals that goes beyond the traditional classification based on Fourier coefficients. Furthermore, new measures such as “symmetrometry” and “distorsymmetry” are introduced to quantify symmetry. These measures outperform traditional indicators like Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) and provide a more accurate measurement of symmetry in complex signals from applications where duty cycle plays a major role.
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spelling doaj-art-b95a2d380a1b4613b2d4430bf7874e162024-11-26T18:03:09ZengMDPI AGEntropy1099-43002024-11-01261194110.3390/e26110941Symmetry in Signals: A New InsightJean-Marc Girault0Groupe ESEO, 49000 Angers, FranceSymmetry is a fundamental property of many natural systems, which is observable through signals. In most out-of-equilibrium complex dynamic systems, the observed signals are asymmetric. However, for certain operating modes, some systems have demonstrated a resurgence of symmetry in their signals. Research has naturally focused on examining time invariance to quantify this symmetry. Measures based on the statistical and harmonic properties of signals have been proposed, but most of them focused on harmonic distortion without explicitly measuring symmetry. This paper introduces a new mathematical framework based on group theory for analyzing signal symmetry beyond time invariance. It presents new indicators to evaluate different types of symmetry in non-stochastic symmetric signals. Both periodic and non-periodic symmetric signals are analyzed to formalize the problem. The study raises critical questions about the completeness of symmetry in signals and proposes a new classification for periodic and non-periodic signals that goes beyond the traditional classification based on Fourier coefficients. Furthermore, new measures such as “symmetrometry” and “distorsymmetry” are introduced to quantify symmetry. These measures outperform traditional indicators like Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) and provide a more accurate measurement of symmetry in complex signals from applications where duty cycle plays a major role.https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/26/11/941symmetrydistortionsymmetry groupirreversibilitysignalsymmetrometry
spellingShingle Jean-Marc Girault
Symmetry in Signals: A New Insight
Entropy
symmetry
distortion
symmetry group
irreversibility
signal
symmetrometry
title Symmetry in Signals: A New Insight
title_full Symmetry in Signals: A New Insight
title_fullStr Symmetry in Signals: A New Insight
title_full_unstemmed Symmetry in Signals: A New Insight
title_short Symmetry in Signals: A New Insight
title_sort symmetry in signals a new insight
topic symmetry
distortion
symmetry group
irreversibility
signal
symmetrometry
url https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/26/11/941
work_keys_str_mv AT jeanmarcgirault symmetryinsignalsanewinsight