Distribution of residence times of time-delayed bistable systems driven by noise

Abstract

I study bistable time-delayed feedback systems driven by noise. Based on a two-state model with transition rates depending on the earlier state of the system I calculate analytically the residence-time distribution function. I show that the distribution function has a detailed structure, reflective of the effect of the feedback. By using an adequate indicator I give evidence of resonant behavior in dependence on the noise level. I also predict that this feedback-induced effect might be observed in two well-known optical bistable systems.