What's Common Between Heart Rate Variability and Synchronized Metronomes?

Tzay-Ming Hong^1*

¹Physics, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan

* Presenter:Tzay-Ming Hong, email:ming@phys.nthu.edu.tw

Analyzing the power-law (PL) distribution at low frequencies of the heart-rate-variability (HRV) spectrum has been proven to be useful at providing vital information and forewarning to various ailments. We report the finding of similar behavior in synchronized metronomes, which serve as a model system to greatly simplify the mechanism behind HRB and offer insights to understand its properties. Among our conclusions, it was found that (1) non-periodic undulations of the order of tens of minutes appear in both systems after coarse-graining the raw data, which are proven to be responsible for PL, (2) the exponent to PL is sensitive to the starting time of measurement and erratic unless the data exceed 10 hours. Passed that, its value follows an exponentially saturating function. This knowledge can help cut down the excruciating 24 hours of measure time in current clinical practice.

Keywords: heart rate variability, power law, synchronization, synchronized metronomes