Stochastic resonance in perspective

• DOI: 10.1007/bf02451825
• Publication Date: 2006-07-30T17:42:21Z
• Authors: M. I. Dykman; D. G. Luchinsky; R. Mannella; P. V. E. McClintock; N. D. Stein; N. G. Stocks
• Keywords: Stochastic Resonance; Phenomenon; SIGNAL (programming language)

We outline the historical development of stochastic resonance (SR), a phenomenon in which the signal and/or the signal-to-noise ratio in a nonlinear system increase with increasing intensity of noise. We discuss basic theoretical ideas explaining and describing SR, and we review some revealing experimental data that place SR within the wider context of statistical physics. We emphasize the close relationship of SR to some effects that are well known in condensed-matter physics.