Energetics of stochastic resonance

In this paper, we discuss the motion of a Brownian particle in a double-well potential driven by a periodic force in terms of energies delivered by the periodic and the noise forces and energy dissipated into the viscous environment. It is shown that, while the power delivered by the periodic force to the Brownian particle is controlled by the strength of the noise, the power delivered by the noise itself is independent of the amplitude and frequency of the periodic force. The implications of this result for the mechanism of stochastic resonance in an equilibrium system is that it is not energy from the noise force which enhances a small periodic force, but rather an increase of energy delivered by the periodic force, regulated by the strength of the noise. We further re-evaluate the frequency dependence of stochastic resonance in terms of energetic terms including efficiency. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3658869]