Eur. Phys. J. B 69, 23-27 (2009)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2009-00068-8

The role of bistability in stochastic resonance

¹ Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy
² Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy
³ Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Camerino, 62032 Camerino, Italy

Corresponding author: ^a fabio.marchesoni@pg.infn.it

Received: 24 December 2008
Published online: 3 March 2009

Abstract

We consider stochastic resonance in a continuous cyclostationary one dimensional process. For an appropriate choice of the control parameters (e.g., as the result of an underlying higher dimensional dynamics) the stationary probability density of the process may grow bimodal even in the absence of an energetic barrier: this is no sufficient condition for stochastic resonance to occur.