# Scaling properties of noise-induced switching in a bistable tunnel diode circuit

## TL;DR

This paper investigates how noise causes switching between stable states in tunnel diode circuits, revealing a precise scaling law for mean switching times near bifurcation points over a wide range of conditions.

## Contribution

It demonstrates experimentally that the mean switching time scales as the 3/2 power of voltage difference, providing detailed insight into noise-induced bifurcation phenomena.

## Key findings

- Mean switching time scales as (voltage difference)^{3/2}
- Scaling law holds over wide voltage and noise ranges
- Experimental validation of theoretical predictions

## Abstract

Noise-induced switching between coexisting metastable states occurs in a wide range of far-from-equilibrium systems including micro-mechanical oscillators, epidemiological and climate change models, and nonlinear electronic transport in tunneling structures such as semiconductor superlattices and tunnel diodes. In the case of tunnel diode circuits, noise-induced switching behavior is associated with negative differential resistance in the static current-voltage characteristics and bistability, i.e., the existence of two macroscopic current states for a given applied voltage. Noise effects are particularly strong near the onset and offset of bistable current behavior, corresponding to bifurcation points in the associated dynamical system. In this paper, we show that the tunnel diode system provides an excellent experimental platform for the precision measurement of scaling properties of mean switching times versus applied voltage near bifurcation points. More specifically, experimental data confirm that the mean switching time scales logarithmically as the 3/2 power of voltage difference over an exceptionally wide range of time scales and noise intensities.