Stochastic resonance in bistable confining potentials

We study the effects of the confining conditions on the occurrence of stochastic resonance (SR) in continuous bistable systems. We model such systems by means of double-well potentials that diverge like |x|^q for |x|↦∞. For super-harmonic (hard) potentials with q > 2 the SR peak sharpens with increasing q, whereas for sub-harmonic (soft) potentials, q < 2, it gets suppressed.     

Periodic renewal processes: application to periodically driven FitzHugh-Nagumo system

Stimulation with periodic force is a standard method to study response properties of a system. Here we examine a special type of systems which generate a sequence of events with uncorrelated time intervals. We review analytical tools to calculate the gain and the signal-to-noise ratio for such systems when perturbed by sinusoidal signal and then apply these tools to the stochastic FitzHugh-Nagumo model.     

Stochastic resonance in an ion channel following the non-Arrhenius gating rate

Stochastic resonance (SR) is a novel cooperative phenomenon occurring in nonlinear systems due to coupling of an ambient noise and an external signal. Biological systems may use SR mechanism to detect the signal efficiently from an external environment. A number of studies have addressed the SR in artificial ion channels considering external voltages as noises. More important than these external noises is the internal, thermal noise which changes the channel conformations essential for biological functions. In this work, we consider that the channel gating rates follow a non-Arrhenius temperature dependence derived from experimental data of a real biological channel. Using the Monte-Carlo simulations, we find that in this channel SR occurs near a physiological temperature in a very distinctive manner compared with that for the Arrhenius gating model.     

Energy diffusion controlled reaction rate of reacting particle driven by broad-band noise

The energy diffusion controlled reaction rate of a reacting particle with linear weak damping and broad-band noise excitation is studied by using the stochastic averaging method. First, the stochastic averaging method for strongly nonlinear oscillators under broad-band noise excitation using generalized harmonic functions is briefly introduced. Then, the reaction rate of the classical Kramers' reacting model with linear weak damping and broad-band noise excitation is investigated by using the stochastic averaging method. The averaged It? stochastic differential equation describing the energy diffusion and the Pontryagin equation governing the mean first-passage time (MFPT) are established. The energy diffusion controlled reaction rate is obtained as the inverse of the MFPT by solving the Pontryagin equation. The results of two special cases of broad-band noises, i.e. the harmonic noise and the exponentially corrected noise, are discussed in details. It is demonstrated that the general expression of reaction rate derived by the authors can be reduced to the classical ones via linear approximation and high potential barrier approximation. The good agreement with the results of the Monte Carlo simulation verifies that the reaction rate can be well predicted using the stochastic averaging method.     

Entropic stochastic resonance: the constructive role of the unevenness

We demonstrate the existence of stochastic resonance (SR) in confined systems arising from entropy variations associated to the presence of irregular boundaries. When the motion of a Brownian particle is constrained to a region with uneven boundaries, the presence of a periodic input may give rise to a peak in the spectral amplification factor and therefore to the appearance of the SR phenomenon. We have proved that the amplification factor depends on the shape of the region through which the particle moves and that by adjusting its characteristic geometric parameters one may optimize the response of the system. The situation in which the appearance of such entropic stochastic resonance (ESR) occurs is common for small-scale systems in which confinement and noise play an prominent role. The novel mechanism found could thus constitute an important tool for the characterization of these systems and can put to use for controlling their basic properties.     

Type-II intermittency characteristics in the presence of noise

We consider a type of intermittent behavior that occurs as the result of the interplay between dynamical mechanisms giving rise to type-II intermittency and random dynamics. We analytically deduce the law for the distribution of the laminar phases, which has never been obtained hitherto. The already known dependence of the mean length of the laminar phases on the criticality parameter [Phys. Rev. E 68, 036203 (2003)] follows as a corollary of the carried out research. We also prove that this dependence obtained earlier under the assumption of the fixed form of the reinjection probability does not depend on the relaminarization properties, and, correspondingly, the obtained expression of the mean length of the laminar phases on the criticality parameter remains correct for different types of the reinjection probability.     

A random walker on a ratchet potential: effect of a non Gaussian noise

We analyze the effect of a colored non Gaussian noise on a model of a random walker moving along a ratchet potential. Such a model was motivated by the transport properties of motor proteins, like kinesin and myosin. Previous studies have been realized assuming white noises. However, for real situations, in general we could expect that those noises be correlated and non Gaussian. Among other aspects, in addition to a maximum in the current as the noise intensity is varied, we have also found another optimal value of the current when departing from Gaussian behavior. We show the relevant effects that arise when departing from Gaussian behavior, particularly related to current's enhancement, and discuss its relevance for both biological and technological situations.     

Fractional Langevin equation and Riemann-Liouville fractional derivative

In this present work we consider a fractional Langevin equation with Riemann-Liouville fractional time derivative which modifies the classical Newtonian force, nonlocal dissipative force, and long-time correlation. We investigate the first two moments, variances and position and velocity correlation functions of this system. We also compare them with the results obtained from the same fractional Langevin equation which uses the Caputo fractional derivative.     

Quantum-mechanical tunneling in associative neural networks

We investigate the quantum-mechanical tunneling between the “patterns" of the, so-called, associative neural networks. Being the relatively stable minima of the “configuration-energy" space of the networks, the “patterns" represent the macroscopically distinguishable states of the neural nets. Therefore, the tunneling represents a macroscopic quantum effect, but with some special characteristics. Particularly, we investigate the tunneling between the minima of approximately equal depth, thus requiring no energy exchange. If there are at least a few such minima, the tunneling represents a sort of the “random walk" process, which implies the quantum fluctuations in the system, and therefore “malfunctioning" in the information processing of the nets. Due to the finite number of the minima, the “random walk" reduces to a dynamics modeled by the, so-called, Pauli master equation. With some plausible assumptions, the set(s) of the Pauli master equations can be analytically solved. This way comes the main result of this paper: the quantum fluctuations due to the quantum-mechanical tunneling can be “minimized" if the “pattern"-formation is such that there are mutually “distant" groups of the “patterns", thus providing the “zone" structure of the “pattern" formation. This qualitative result can be considered as a basis of the efficient deterministic functioning of the associative neural nets. Received 15 July 1999     

Active Brownian motion models and applications to ratchets

We give an overview over recent studies on the model of Active Brownian Motion (ABM) coupled to reservoirs providing free energy which may be converted into kinetic energy of motion. First, we present an introduction to a general concept of active Brownian particles which are capable to take up energy from the source and transform part of it in order to perform various activities. In the second part of our presentation we consider applications of ABM to ratchet systems with different forms of differentiable potentials. Both analytical and numerical evaluations are discussed for three cases of sinusoidal, staircaselike and Mateos ratchet potentials, also with the additional loads modelled by tilted potential structure. In addition, stochastic character of the kinetics is investigated by considering perturbation by Gaussian white noise which is shown to be responsible for driving the directionality of the asymptotic flux in the ratchet. This stochastically driven directionality effect is visualized as a strong nonmonotonic dependence of the statistics of the right versus left trajectories of motion leading to a net current of particles. Possible applications of the ratchet systems to molecular motors are also briefly discussed.     

Stochastic resonance: influence of a f-κ noise spectrum

With the aim of studying stochastic resonance (SR) in a double-well potential when the noise source has a spectral density of the form f^-κ (with varying κ), we have extended a procedure introduced by Kaulakys et al. (Phys. Rev. E 70, 020101 (2004)). In order to achieve an analytical understanding of the results, we have obtained an effective Markovian approximation that allows us to make a systematic study of the effect of such noise on the SR phenomenon. A comparison of the numerical and analytical results shows an excellent qualitative agreement indicating that the effective Markovian approximation is able to correctly describe the general trends.     

Accounting for the energies and entropies of kinesin’s catalytic cycle

When the processive motor protein kinesin walks along the biopolymer microtubule it can occasionally make a backward step. Recent single molecule experiments on moving kinesin have revealed that the forward-to-backward step ratio decreases exponentially with the load force. Carter and Cross (Nature 435, 308-312, 2005) found that this ratio tightly followed 802 × exp[−0.95F], where F is the load force in piconewtons. A straightforward analysis of a Brownian step leads to L/(2k _B T) as the factor in front of the load force, where L is the 8 nm stepsize, k _B is the Boltzmann constant, and T is the temperature. The factor L/(2k _B T) does indeed equal 0.95 pN⁻¹. The same analysis shows how the 802 prefactor derives from the power stroke energy G as exp[G/(2k _B T)]. There are indications that the power stroke derives from the entropically driven coiling of the 30 amino acid neck linker that connects the two kinesin heads. This idea is examined and consequences are deduced.     

Kinesin and the Crooks fluctuation theorem

The thermal efficiency of the kinesin cycle at stalling is presently a matter of some debate, with published predictions ranging from 0 [Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 158102 (2007); Phys. Rev. E 78, 011915 (2008)] to 100% [in Molecular Motors, edited by M. Schliwa (Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH, Weinheim (2003), p. 207]. In this note we attemp to clarify the issues involved. We also find an upper bound on the kinesin efficiency by constructing an ideal kinesin cycle to which the real cycle may be compared. The ideal cycle has a thermal efficiency of less than one, and the real one is less efficient than the ideal one always, in compliance with Carnot’s theorem.     

Stochastic resonance and energy optimization in spatially extended dynamical systems

We investigate a class of nonlinear wave equations subject to periodic forcing and noise, and address the issue of energy optimization. Numerically, we use a pseudo-spectral method to solve the nonlinear stochastic partial differential equation and compute the energy of the system as a function of the driving amplitude in the presence of noise. In the fairly general setting where the system possesses two coexisting states, one with low and another with high energy, noise can induce intermittent switchings between the two states. A striking finding is that, for fixed noise, the system energy can be optimized by the driving in a form of resonance. The phenomenon can be explained by the Langevin dynamics of particle motion in a double-well potential system with symmetry breaking. The finding can have applications to small-size devices such as microelectromechanical resonators and to waves in fluid and plasma.     

Generalized Fokker-Planck equation: Derivation and exact solutions

We derive the generalized Fokker-Planck equation associated with the Langevin equation (in the Ito sense) for an overdamped particle in an external potential driven by multiplicative noise with an arbitrary distribution of the increments of the noise generating process. We explicitly consider this equation for various specific types of noises, including Poisson white noise and Lévy stable noise, and show that it reproduces all Fokker-Planck equations that are known for these noises. Exact analytical, time-dependent and stationary solutions of the generalized Fokker-Planck equation are derived and analyzed in detail for the cases of a linear, a quadratic, and a tailored potential.     

Constructive influence of noise-flatness in correlation ratchets

The influence of noise-flatness on overdamped motion of Brownian particles in a 1D periodic system with a simple sawtooth potential subjected to both unbiased thermal noise and three-level telegraph noise is considered. The exact formula for the stationary probability flux (current) is presented. The phenomenon of multiple current reversals and some topological properties of the hypersurface of zero current in the parameter space of noises are investigated and illustrated by phase diagrams. The conditions for the existence of four current reversals versus the switching rate of nonequilibrium noise are given. An alternative interpretation of the results in terms of cross-correlation between two dichotomous noises is presented.     

Stochastic resonance in finite arrays of bistable elements with local coupling

In this article, we investigate the stochastic resonance (SR) effect in a finite array of noisy bistable systems with nearest-neighbor coupling driven by a weak time-periodic driving force. The array is characterized by a collective variable. By means of numerical simulations, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the gain are estimated as functions of the noise and the interaction coupling strength. A strong enhancement of the SR phenomenon for this collective variable in comparison with SR in single unit bistable systems is observed. Gains larger than unity are obtained for some parameter values and multi-frequency driving forces, indicating that the system is operating in a non-linear regime albeit the smallness of the driving amplitude. The large SNR values observed are basically due to the fact that the output fluctuations are small and short lived, in comparison with their typical values in a linear regime. A non-monotonic behavior of the SNR with the coupling strength is also obtained.