Stochastic Resonance in Chemistry. 1. The Belousov−Zhabotinsky Reaction

We demonstrate the phenomenon of stochastic resonance in a nonlinear chemical reaction. The term “stochastic resonance” (SR) denotes the detection of a weak periodic signal in a noisy system displaying a threshold. If the sum of the periodic signal and the noise amplitude crosses the threshold, an output pulse is triggered. At an optimal noise amplitude the distribution of pulse intervals as well as the signal-to-noise ratio will pass through a maximum. In the continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) experiments we superimpose a periodic flow rate signal on an excitable focal steady state located near a Hopf bifurcation in the Belousov−Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. In the Showalter−Noyes−Bar-Eli model of this reaction we vary the perturbation frequency and amplitude as well as the pulse length of the applied noise to elaborate the optimal conditions for stochastic resonance to occur in the model.