Stochastic Resonance Phenomena and the Essential Role of Noise
Noise is often regarded as a nuisance. In experimental systems, it diminishes signal to noise ratio and obfuscates patterns and weak signals. In theoretical systems, it requires modelling by stochastic differential equations, whose solutions can be analytically intractable except for the simplest of Gaussian processes. Research on classical and quantum systems has revealed, however, that noise is essential when boosting hidden signatures by the phenomenon known as stochastic resonance. Many different methods proposed for inducing stochastic resonance are now revolutionizing measurement and modeling in fields as wide ranging as nonlinear optics and photonics, quantum communication, SQUID devices, neurophysiology, hydrodynamics, climate research and finance. This course, designed to appeal to theorists and experimentalists alike, is conducted in survey and seminar style. Review of the current literature will be complimented by lectures and readings focused on statistical physics and stochastic processes.