Changing the state of a memristive system with white noise

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that applying white noise to memristive systems can alter their average state, revealing unique behaviors and limitations of ideal memristors in energy transfer and charge distribution.

Contribution

It shows that white noise can change the state of memristive systems and highlights the limitations of ideal memristors in doing useful work.

Findings

White noise can change the average state of memristive systems.

Ideal memristors cannot charge a capacitor or produce useful work.

Memristive systems can skew charge probability density, measurable experimentally.

Abstract

Can we change the average state of a resistor by simply applying white noise? We show that the answer to this question is positive if the resistor has memory of its past dynamics (a memristive system). We also prove that, if the memory arises only from the charge flowing through the resistor -- an ideal memristor -- then the current flowing through such memristor can not charge a capacitor connected in series, and therefore cannot produce useful work. Moreover, the memristive system may skew the charge probability density on the capacitor, an effect which can be measured experimentally.