Resonant-Like Activation in a Bistable System with Noise and Time Delay

A bistable system with noise and time delay is investigated. Theoretical analysis and stochastic simulation show that: (i) In the case of a system driven only by multiplicative Gaussian white noise, the mean first-passage time for a particle to reach the other stable state from one stable state exhibits a minimum with respect to delay time, i.e., a resonant-like activation (RA) phenomenon. (ii) In the action of additive and multiplicative noise, as the additive noise intensity increases, no matter whether a correlation between the two types of noise exists or not, the RA gradually disappears. (iii) The correlation strength between the two types of noise does not influence the existence of the RA.