Dynamics of inertial particles under velocity resetting

Abstract We investigate stochastic resetting in coupled systems involving two degrees of freedom, where only one variable is reset. The resetting variable, which we think of as hidden, indirectly affects the remaining observable variable via correlations. We derive the Fourier–Laplace transforms of the observable variable’s propagator and provide a recursive relation for all the moments, facilitating a comprehensive examination of the process. We apply this framework to inertial transport processes where we observe the particle position while the velocity is hidden and is being reset at a constant rate. We show that velocity resetting results in a linearly growing spatial mean squared displacement at later times, independently of reset-free dynamics, due to resetting-induced tempering of velocity correlations. General expressions for the effective diffusion and drift coefficients are derived as a function of the resetting rate. A non-trivial dependence on the rate may appear due to multiple timescales and crossovers in the reset-free dynamics. An extension that incorporates refractory periods after each reset is considered, where post-resetting pauses can lead to anomalous diffusive behavior. Our results are of relevance to a wide range of systems, such as inertial transport where the mechanical momentum is lost in collisions with the environment or the behavior of living organisms where stop-and-go locomotion with inertia is ubiquitous. Numerical simulations for underdamped Brownian motion and the random acceleration process confirm our findings.