Eur. Phys. J. B (2013) 86: 262 (2013)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2013-31146-9

Regular Article

Distributions of first passage times in a bistable thermochemical system with a low temperature stationary state

¹ Institute of Chemistry, Jan Kochanowski University, Swiȩtokrzyska 15G, 25-406 Kielce, Poland
² Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, 01-224 Warsaw, Poland
³ Physics Laboratory, Warsaw University of Life Sciences – SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland

^a e-mail: anna.kolbus@ujk.edu.pl

Received: 20 December 2012
Received in final form: 24 March 2013
Published online: 12 June 2013

Abstract

We consider the influence of internal fluctuations on the behavior of a bistable thermochemical system with a low temperature stable focus surrounded by a stable limit cycle arising from the subcritical Hopf bifurcation. We use a master equation approach to study the transitions between basins of these attractors. Distribution functions of first passage times from the limit cycle to the focus are obtained for systems with various numbers of molecules and reaction heats. We consider in detail the specific, multi-peak form of the distributions caused by eccentric location of the limit cycles with respect to the focus.