Synchronized First-Passages in a Double-Well System

TL;DR

This study uses Langevin simulations to analyze how asymmetric external fields and noise influence synchronized transitions in a double-well system, revealing asymmetric hysteresis behavior and implications for unidirectional Brownian motion.

Contribution

It introduces a numerical simulation approach to study first-passage synchronization under asymmetric driving and noise in a double-well potential.

Findings

Hysteresis loss shows asymmetry with respect to field sweep asymmetry.

Asymmetric external fields induce correlated, unidirectional passages.

Results suggest mechanisms for unidirectional Brownian motion in symmetric potentials.

Abstract

We perform Langevin dynamic numerical simulation on a double-well potential system subjected to an asymmetric saw-tooth type external time varying field and white noise forces. The hysteresis loss calculated from the first-passage time distribution obtained shows asymmetric behaviour with respect to the asymmetry in the field sweep. The hysteresis loss, in our model, being a measure of the synchronized passages from one well to the other, indicates asymmetric "correlated" passages in the two opposing directions when driven by a temporally asymmetric external field in the presence of white noise (fluctuating) forces. The implication of our results on the phenomena of predominantly unidirectional motion of a Brownian particle in a symmetric periodic (nonratchet-like) potential is discussed.