Noise-induced transitions in coupled oscillator systems with a pinning force

We investigate noise-induced transitions in coupled oscillator systems with higher harmonic pinning force subject to a fluctuating interaction and a thermal additive noise. It is shown that the thermal additive noise induces a symmetry-breaking transition at a critial thermal noise intensity that does not depend on the strength of the fluctuating interaction. The critical line is found analytically in the parameter space of the pinning force and thermal noise intensity. The fluctuating interaction brings about bifurcations of a stationary probability distribution leading to the clustering of oscillators at its critical strengths, which depend on the thermal noise intensity and the strength of the pinning force. The cooperation of the thermal noise, the fluctuating interaction, and the pinning force provides the rich structure of phase diagrams such as a reentrant transition. The nature of the transitions is also discussed in detail.