Stochastic dynamics of the cubic map: A study of noise-induced transition phenomena

The effects of finite-amplitude, additive noise on the dynamics generated by a one-dimensional, two-parameter cubic map are considered. The underlying deterministic system exhibits bistability and hysteresis, and noise-induced processes associated with these phenomena are studied. If a bounded noise source is applied to this system, trajectories may be confined to a finite region. Mechanisms are given for the merging transitions between different parts of this region and the eventual escape from it as the noise level is increased. The noisy dynamics is also represented by an integral evolution operator, with an equilibrium density function with finite support. The operator's spectrum is determined as a function of map parameters and noise amplitude. Such noisy one-dimensional maps can provide models for the study of noise-induced phenomena described by stochastic differential equations.