Sunday 30 March 2025
Researchers have made a fascinating discovery in the field of noise-induced phenomena, shedding new light on the complex interplay between colored noise and stochastic resonance (SR). In a recent study, scientists explored the effects of additive Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) noise on the collective signal response of two types of bistable oscillators: mean-field coupled overdamped and underdamped Duffing oscillators.
The concept of SR is relatively well-known in the scientific community. It refers to the phenomenon where a weak periodic signal can be amplified by adding a suitable level of noise to the system. However, most research has focused on white noise, neglecting the potential effects of colored noise. Colored noise, characterized by its power spectral density decreasing with frequency, is more common in natural systems and has been linked to various biological processes.
In this study, researchers employed numerical simulations and theoretical modeling to investigate the impact of OU noise on SR in both overdamped and underdamped bistable oscillators. They found that, unlike white noise, colored noise can have a non-trivial effect on SR, depending on the frequency of the external driving signal.
For the overdamped bistable oscillators, the results showed that, while the local signal response in the OU noise case could be better than that of the white noise situation for certain noise intensities, the comprehensive signal response was reduced as the noise color increased. This suggests that, from a global perspective, the additive colored noise impairs the magnitude of SR.
In contrast, the underdamped Duffing oscillators exhibited a more surprising behavior. The researchers found that, when the driving frequency was not too high, the resonance magnitude could be non-monotonically enhanced as the noise color increased. This implies that, in certain systems, colored noise can actually improve the signal response.
The theoretical models used to explain these findings highlight the complex interplay between damping, coupling, and noise color. The results demonstrate that the additive OU noise can both reduce and optimize SR, depending on the specific system and external driving conditions.
These discoveries have significant implications for our understanding of noise-induced phenomena in biological systems, where colored noise is prevalent. They also open up new avenues for research into the potential applications of SR in fields such as engineering and medicine, where weak signal amplification can be crucial.
The study’s findings highlight the importance of considering the color of noise when exploring SR in complex systems.
Cite this article: “Colored Noise Can Both Enhance and Impair Signal Response in Bistable Oscillators”, The Science Archive, 2025.
Noise-Induced Phenomena, Stochastic Resonance, Colored Noise, Ornstein-Uhlenbeck Noise, Bistable Oscillators, Duffing Oscillators, Mean-Field Coupling, Overdamped Oscillators, Underdamped Oscillators, Signal Ampl
