Analytic and numerical study of stochastic resonance.

A detailed analytic and numerical study of stochastic resonance in the regime of small-amplitude periodic modulation is presented. For the double-well potential, it has been suggested that the first-passage time for hopping from one potential minimum to the other is exactly half the modulation period at the value of the noise strength that maximizes the stochastic resonance profile. This explanation of the phenomenon is critically assessed. We establish a criterion for the noise strength at which the stochastic resonance profile is maximal.