Noise enhanced stability of an active particle in a spatial metastable potential driven by cross-correlated noises

Abstract

We investigate the escape dynamics of an active Brownian particle (ABP) in a spatial cubic potential subject to the cross-correlated multiplicative noise and additive noise. Based on the Schweitzer–Ebeling–Tilch model, the effects of noise strength, cross-correlation intensity between noises, damping coefficient and potential amplitude on the mean escape time (MET) from a metastable potential state are analyzed. The results indicate that the MET exhibits a non-monotonic behavior with a maximum as a function of the intensities of the multiplicative and additive noises, identifying the occurrence of the noise enhanced stability (NES) effects induced by the multiplicative noise and by the additive noise. The increase of the cross-correlation strength always enhances the NES effect induced by the additive noise, regardless of the cross-correlation between noises is positive or negative. However, the positive and negative cross-correlation play an opposite role on the NES effect induced by the multiplicative noise. Moreover, the NES effects induced by the additive and multiplicative noises can be enhanced by the increase of the damping coefficient and the potential amplitude. A physical mechanism for the NES effect of the ABP can be understood as the fact that a certain amount of noise can stabilize the sojourn of the ABP in a limit cycle. Our results demonstrate that the cross-correlation between noises may provide a possible strategy for controlling the stability of active particle systems.