Resonant activation in the presence of non-equilibrated baths

Abstract

We study the generic problem of the escape of a classical particle over a fluctuating barrier under the influence of non-Gaussian noise mimicking the effects of not-fully equilibrated bath. Our attention focuses on the effect of the stable noises on the mean escape time and on the phenomenon of resonant activation (RA). Possible physical interpretation of the occurrence of Lévy noises in the system of interest is discussed and the connection between the Tsallis statistics and the Fractional Fokker Planck Equation is addressed.