Observation of stochastic resonance in a ring laser.
TL;DR: The first observation of stochastic resonance in an optical device, the bidirectional ring laser, is reported and the addition of injected noise can lead to an improved signal-to-noise ratio.
Abstract: We report the first observation of stochastic resonance in an optical device, the bidirectional ring laser. The experiment exploits a new technique to modulate periodically the asymmetry between the two counter-rotating lasing modes. The measurements verify that the addition of injected noise can lead to an improved signal-to-noise ratio (relative to that observed with no externally injected noise).
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TL;DR: In this paper, the authors report, extend, and interpret much of our current understanding relating to theories of noise-activated escape, for which many of the notable contributions are originating from the communities both of physics and of physical chemistry.
Abstract: The calculation of rate coefficients is a discipline of nonlinear science of importance to much of physics, chemistry, engineering, and biology. Fifty years after Kramers' seminal paper on thermally activated barrier crossing, the authors report, extend, and interpret much of our current understanding relating to theories of noise-activated escape, for which many of the notable contributions are originating from the communities both of physics and of physical chemistry. Theoretical as well as numerical approaches are discussed for single- and many-dimensional metastable systems (including fields) in gases and condensed phases. The role of many-dimensional transition-state theory is contrasted with Kramers' reaction-rate theory for moderate-to-strong friction; the authors emphasize the physical situation and the close connection between unimolecular rate theory and Kramers' work for weakly damped systems. The rate theory accounting for memory friction is presented, together with a unifying theoretical approach which covers the whole regime of weak-to-moderate-to-strong friction on the same basis (turnover theory). The peculiarities of noise-activated escape in a variety of physically different metastable potential configurations is elucidated in terms of the mean-first-passage-time technique. Moreover, the role and the complexity of escape in driven systems exhibiting possibly multiple, metastable stationary nonequilibrium states is identified. At lower temperatures, quantum tunneling effects start to dominate the rate mechanism. The early quantum approaches as well as the latest quantum versions of Kramers' theory are discussed, thereby providing a description of dissipative escape events at all temperatures. In addition, an attempt is made to discuss prominent experimental work as it relates to Kramers' reaction-rate theory and to indicate the most important areas for future research in theory and experiment.
5,180 citations
TL;DR: In certain nonlinear systems, including electronic circuits and biological sensory apparatus, the presence of noise can in fact enhance the detection of weak signals, called stochastic resonance.
Abstract: Noise in dynamical systems is usually considered a nuisance. But in certain nonlinear systems, including electronic circuits and biological sensory apparatus, the presence of noise can in fact enhance the detection of weak signals. This phenomenon, called stochastic resonance, may find useful application in physical, technological and biomedical contexts.
1,588 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the behavior of excitable systems driven by Gaussian white noise is reviewed, focusing mainly on those general properties of such systems that are due to noise, and present several applications of their findings in biophysics and lasers.
1,373 citations
TL;DR: The experimental demonstration of chaotic communication with an optical system is described, using an erbium-doped fiber ring laser to produce chaotic light and embedded in the larger chaotic carrier and transmitted to a receiver system where the message was recovered from the chaos.
Abstract: Recent experiments with chaotic electronic circuits have shown the possibility of communication with chaos The experimental demonstration of chaotic communication with an optical system is described An erbium-doped fiber ring laser (EDFRL) was used to produce chaotic light with a wavelength of 153 micrometers A small 10-megahertz message was embedded in the larger chaotic carrier and transmitted to a receiver system where the message was recovered from the chaos Chaotic optical waveforms can thus be used to communicate masked information at high bandwidths
756 citations
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01 Jan 2009
TL;DR: This work challenges neuroscientists and biologists to embrace a very broad definition of stochastic resonance in terms of signal-processing “noise benefits”, and to devise experiments aimed at verifying that random variability can play a functional role in the brain, nervous system, or other areas of biology.
Abstract: Stochastic resonance is said to be observed when increases in levels of unpredictable fluctuations— e.g., random noise—cause an increase in a metric of the quality of signal transmission or detection performance, rather than a decrease. This counterintuitive effect relies on system nonlinearities and on some parameter ranges being ''suboptimal''. Stochastic resonance has been observed, quantified, and described in a plethora of physical and biological systems, including neurons. Being a topic of widespread multidisciplinary interest, the definition of stochastic resonance has evolved significant- ly over the last decade or so, leading to a number of debates, misunderstandings, and controversies. Perhaps the most important debate is whether the brain has evolved to utilize random noise in vivo, as part of the ''neural code''. Surprisingly, this debate has been for the most part ignored by neuroscientists, despite much indirect evidence of a positive role for noise in the brain. We explore some of the reasons for this and argue why it would be more surprising if the brain did not exploit randomness provided by noise—via stochastic resonance or otherwise—than if it did. We also challenge neurosci- entists and biologists, both computational and experi- mental, to embrace a very broad definition of stochastic resonance in terms of signal-processing ''noise benefits'', and to devise experiments aimed at verifying that random variability can play a functional role in the brain, nervous system, or other areas of biology.
686 citations
Cites background from "Observation of stochastic resonance..."
...Stochastic resonance has been widely observed throughout nature—it has been reported and quantified in such diverse systems as climate models [17], electronic circuits [41,42], differential equations [43,44], lasers [45,46], neural models [47,48], physiological neural populations [49–51] and networks [52], chemical reactions [53], ion channels [54], SQUIDs (superconducting quantum interference devices) [55], the behavior...
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