Stochastic resonance in extended bistable systems: the role of potential symmetry

Double resonance induced by group coupling with quenched disorder

Results show that the astrocytes can not only listen to the talk of large assemble of neurons but also give advice to the conversations and are significant sources of heterogeneous couplings as well. In the present work, we focus on such regulation character of astrocytes and explore the role of heterogeneous couplings among interacted neuron-astrocyte components in a signal response. We consider reduced dynamics in which the listening and advising processes of astrocytes are mapped into the form of group coupling, where the couplings are normally distributed. In both globally coupled overdamped bistable oscillators and an excitable FitzHugh-Nagumo (FHN) neuron model, we numerically and analytically demonstrate that two types of bell-shaped collective response curves can be obtained as the ensemble coupling strength or the heterogeneity of group coupling rise, respectively, which can be seen as a new type of double resonance. Furthermore, through the bifurcation analysis, we verify that these resonant signal responses stem from the competition between dispersion and aggregation induced by heterogeneous group and positive pairwise couplings, respectively. Our results contribute to a better understanding of the signal propagation in coupled systems with quenched disorder.

Diversity-induced resonance in a globally coupled bistable system with diversely distributed heterogeneity

A moderate degree of diversity, in form of quenched noise or intrinsic heterogeneity, can significantly strengthen the collective response of coupled extended systems. As yet, related discoveries on diversity-induced resonance are mainly concentrated on symmetrically distributed heterogeneity, e.g., the Gaussian or uniform distributions with zero-mean. The necessary conditions that guarantee the arise of resonance phenomenon in heterogeneous oscillators remain largely unknown. In this work, we show that the standard deviation and the ratio of negative entities of a given distribution jointly modulate diversity-induced resonance and the concomitance of negative and positive entities is the prerequisite for this resonant behavior emerging in diverse symmetrical and asymmetrical distributions. Particularly, for a proper degree of diversity of a given distribution, the collective signal response behaves like a bell-shaped curve as the ratio of negative oscillator increases, which can be termed negative-oscillator-ratio induced resonance. Furthermore, we analytically reveal that the ratio of negative oscillators plays a gating role in the resonance phenomenon on the basis of a reduced equation. Finally, we examine the robustness of these results in globally coupled bistable elements with asymmetrical potential functions. Our results suggest that the phenomenon of diversity-induced resonance can arise in arbitrarily distributed heterogeneous bistable oscillators by regulating the ratio of negative entities appropriately.

Stochastic resonance for nonequilibrium systems

Stochastic resonance (SR) is a prominent phenomenon in many natural and engineered noisy systems, whereby the response to a periodic forcing is greatly amplified when the intensity of the noise is tuned to within a specific range of values. We propose here a general mathematical framework based on large deviation theory and, specifically, on the theory of quasipotentials, for describing SR in noisy N-dimensional nonequilibrium systems possessing two metastable states and undergoing a periodically modulated forcing. The drift and the volatility fields of the equations of motion can be fairly general, and the competing attractors of the deterministic dynamics and the edge state living on the basin boundary can, in principle, feature chaotic dynamics. Similarly, the perturbation field of the forcing can be fairly general. Our approach is able to recover as special cases the classical results previously presented in the literature for systems obeying detailed balance and allows for expressing the parameters describing SR and the statistics of residence times in the two-state approximation in terms of the unperturbed drift field, the volatility field, and the perturbation field. We clarify which specific properties of the forcing are relevant for amplifying or suppressing SR in a system and classify forcings according to classes of equivalence. Our results indicate a route for a detailed understanding of SR in rather general systems.

Stochastic resonance subject to multiplicative and additive noise: The influence of potential asymmetries

The influence of potential asymmetries on stochastic resonance (SR) subject to both multiplicative and additive noise is studied by using two-state theory, where three types of asymmetries are introduced in double-well potential by varying the depth, the width, and both the depth and the width of the left well alone. The characteristics of SR in the asymmetric cases are different from symmetric ones, where asymmetry has a strong influence on output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and optimal noise intensity. Even optimal noise intensity is also associated with the steepness of the potential-barrier wall, which is generally ignored. Moreover, the largest SNR in asymmetric SR is found to be relatively larger than the symmetric one, which also closely depends on noise intensity ratio. In addition, a moderate cross-correlation intensity between two noises is good for improving the output SNR. More interestingly, a double SR phenomenon is observed in certain cases for two correlated noises, whereas it disappears for two independent noises. The above clues are helpful in achieving weak signal detection under heavy background noise.

System size stochastic resonance: general nonequilibrium potential framework

We study the phenomenon of system size stochastic resonance within the nonequilibrium potential framework. We analyze three different cases of spatially extended systems, exploiting the knowledge of their nonequilibrium potential, showing that through the analysis of that potential we can obtain a clear physical interpretation of this phenomenon in wide classes of extended systems. Depending on the characteristics of the system, the phenomenon is associated with a breaking of the symmetry of the nonequilibrium potential or a deepening of the potential minima yielding an effective scaling of the noise intensity with the system size.

Interplay between noise and boundary conditions in pattern formation in adsorbed substances

We have studied the interplay between noise and boundary conditions on the possibility of noise induced pattern formation. With this aim, we have exploited a deterministic model for pattern formation in adsorbed substances--including the effect of lateral interactions--used to describe the phenomenon of adsorption in surfaces, where a multiplicative noise fulfilling a fluctuation-dissipation relation was added. We have found solutions for different boundary conditions, particularly corresponding to two stable and one unstable patterns, where one of the stable and the unstable one, are purely induced by the multiplicative noise. In the case of albedo boundary conditions we have found a transition from monostable to a noise induced bistable behavior as the albedo parameter is varied.

Stochastic resonance between dissipative structures in a bistable noise-sustained dynamics

We study an extended system that without noise shows a monostable dynamics, but when submitted to an adequate multiplicative noise, an effective bistable dynamics arises. The stochastic resonance between the attractors of the noise-sustained dynamics is investigated theoretically in terms of a two-state approximation. The knowledge of the exact nonequilibrium potential allows us to obtain the output signal-to-noise ratio. Its maximum is predicted in the symmetric case for which both attractors have the same nonequilibrium potential value.

Frequency-dependent stochastic resonance in inhibitory coupled excitable systems

We study frequency selectivity in noise-induced subthreshold signal processing in a system with many noise-supported stochastic attractors which are created due to slow variable diffusion between identical excitable elements. Such a coupling provides coexisting of several average periods distinct from that of an isolated oscillator and several phase relations between elements. We show that the response of the coupled elements under different noise levels can be significantly enhanced or reduced by forcing some elements in resonance with these new frequencies which correspond to appropriate phase relations.

Oscillatory amplification of stochastic resonance in excitable systems

We study systems which combine both oscillatory and excitable properties, and hence intrinsically possess two internal frequencies, responsible for standard spiking and for small amplitude oscillatory limit cycles (Canard orbits). We show that in such a system the effect of stochastic resonance can be amplified by application of an additional high-frequency signal, which is in resonance with the oscillatory frequency. It is important that for this amplification one needs much lower noise intensities as for conventional stochastic resonance in excitable systems.

Asymmetric bistable systems subject to periodic and stochastic forcing in the strongly nonlinear regime: switching time distributions

A detailed theoretical analysis of the dynamics of a sinusoidally driven noisy asymmetric bistable system is presented. The results are valid for any two-state system, however, the specific case of the Duffing potential is considered in detail. The dynamics are considered in the weak noise limit, i.e., when the response of the system to the external periodic field is strongly nonlinear. The system asymmetry is created by a nonzero dc component of the external force, and manifests itself as an asymmetry between the mean switching times between the potential wells. We obtain explicit analytic expressions for the whole hierarchy of switching time distributions (including the residence time and return time distributions). We also obtain expressions for the average residence times and describe how they depend on asymmetry, together with an explicit expression for the difference between the residence times in the weak noise limit; the results are presented in the context of using the switching dynamics to detect weak dc target signals.

Limit cycle induced by multiplicative noise in a system of coupled Brownian motors

We study a model consisting of N nonlinear oscillators with global periodic coupling, and local multiplicative and additive noises. The model was shown to undergo a nonequilibrium phase transition towards a broken-symmetry phase exhibiting noise-induced "ratchet" behavior. A previous study [H. S. Wio, S. Mangioni, and R. Deza, Physica D 168-169, 184 (2002)] focused on the relationship between the character of the hysteresis loop, the number of "homogeneous" mean-field solutions, and the shape of the stationary mean-field probability distribution function. Here, we show-as suggested by the absence of stable solutions when the load force is beyond a critical value-the existence of a limit cycle induced by both multiplicative noise and global periodic coupling.

Coupling-reentrant phase transition, complex hysteretic behavior, and efficiency optimization in coupled phase oscillators submitted to colored flashing potentials

A recent mean-field analysis of a model consisting of N nonlinear phase oscillators-under the joint influence of global periodic coupling with strength K0 and of local multiplicative and additive noises-has shown a nonequilibrium phase transition towards a broken-symmetry phase exhibiting noise-induced transport, or "ratchet" behavior. In a previous paper we focused on the relationship between the character of the (mean velocity <Xdot;> vs load force F) hysteresis loop, the number of "homogeneous" mean-field solutions, and the shape of the stationary mean-field probability distribution function (PDF). Here we assume that the multiplicative noises of the model are Ornstein-Uhlenbeck with common strength Q and self-correlation time tau. By resorting to an effective Markovian approximation, we study the tau dependence of the phase boundary, and that of the line signaling the transition from the "interaction-driven regime" to the "noise-driven regime." We also study-for selected representative points of the K0 vs Q phase diagram-the tau dependence of the transport properties induced by coupling and colored multiplicative noise (including the efficiency epsilon of the mechanical rectification process) and that of the above-mentioned PDF.

Noise induced propagation in monostable media

We show that external fluctuations are able to induce propagation of harmonic signals through monostable media. This property is based on the phenomenon of doubly stochastic resonance, where the joint action of multiplicative noise and spatial coupling induces bistability in an otherwise monostable extended medium, and additive noise resonantly enhances the response of the system to a harmonic forcing. Under these conditions, propagation of the harmonic signal through the unforced medium is observed for optimal intensities of the two noises. This noise-induced propagation is studied and quantified in a simple model of coupled nonlinear electronic circuits.

Experimental evidence of stochastic resonance without tuning due to non-Gaussian noises

In order to test theoretical predictions, we have studied the phenomenon of stochastic resonance in an electronic experimental system driven by white non-Gaussian noise. In agreement with the theoretical predictions our main findings are an enhancement of the sensibility of the system together with a remarkable widening of the response (robustness). This implies that even a single resonant unit can reach a marked reduction in the need for noise tuning.

Array-enhanced coherence resonance: nontrivial effects of heterogeneity and spatial independence of noise

We demonstrate the effect of coherence resonance in a heterogeneous array of coupled Fitz Hugh-Nagumo neurons. It is shown that coupling of such elements leads to a significantly stronger coherence compared to that of a single element. We report nontrivial effects of parameter heterogeneity and spatial independence of noise on array-enhanced coherence resonance; especially, we find that (i) the coherence increases as spatial correlation of the noise decreases, and (ii) inhomogeneity in the parameters of the array enhances the coherence. Our results have the implication that generic heterogeneity and background noise can play a constructive role to enhance the time precision of firing in neural systems.

Stochastic resonance driven by time-modulated correlated white noise sources

We analyze the effects caused by the simultaneous presence of correlated additive and multiplicative noises for stochastic resonance. Besides the standard potential modulation we also consider a time-periodic variation of the correlation between the two noise sources. As a foremost result we find that stochastic resonance, as characterized by the signal-to-noise ratio and the spectral amplification, becomes characteristically broadened. The broadening can be controlled by varying the relative phase shift between the two types of modulation force.

Enhancement of stochastic resonance in distributed systems due to a selective coupling

Recent massive numerical simulations have shown that the response of a "stochastic resonator" is enhanced as a consequence of spatial coupling. Similar results have been analytically obtained in a reaction-diffusion model, using nonequilibrium potential techniques. We now consider a field-dependent diffusivity and show that the selectivity of the coupling is more efficient for achieving stochastic-resonance enhancement than its overall value in the constant-diffusivity case.