1 research outputs found
Stochastic resonance in soft matter systems: combined effects of static and dynamic disorder
We study the impact of static and dynamic disorder on the phenomenon of
stochastic resonance (SR) in a representative soft matter system. Due to their
extreme susceptibility to weak perturbations soft matter systems appear to be
excellent candidates for the observation of SR. Indeed, we derive generic SR
equations from a polymer stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal (LC) cell,
which is a typical soft matter representative constituting one of the basic
components in several electro-optic applications. We generalize these equations
further in order to study an even broader class of qualitatively different
systems, especially disclosing the influence of different types of static
disorder and interaction ranges amongst LC molecules on the SR response. We
determine the required conditions for the observation of SR in the examined
system, and moreover, reveal that a random field type static disorder yields
qualitatively different responses with respect to random dilution, random bond
and spin glass universality classes. In particular, while the latter three
decrease the level of dynamic disorder (Gaussian noise) warranting the optimal
response, the former evokes exactly the opposite effect, hence increasing the
optimal noise level that is needed to resonantly fine-tune the system's
response in accordance with the weak deterministic electric field. These
observations are shown to be independent of the system size and range of
interactions, thus implying their general validity and potentially wide
applicability also within other similar settings. We argue that soft matter
systems might be particularly adequate as a base for different SR-based
sensitive detectors and thus potent candidates for additional theoretical as
well as experimental research in the presently outlined direction.Comment: 11 two-column pages, 6 figures; accepted for publication in Soft
Matte