Stochastic resonance between noise-sustained patterns

Abstract

We study an extended system that without noise shows a spatially homogeneous state, but when submitted to an adequate multiplicative noise, some "noise-induced patterns" arise. The stochastic resonance between these structures 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 stable attractors have the same nonequilibrium potential value.