Stochastic resonance in finite arrays of bistable elements with local coupling

In this article, we investigate the stochastic resonance (SR) effect in a finite array of noisy bistable systems with nearest-neighbor coupling driven by a weak time-periodic driving force. The array is characterized by a collective variable. By means of numerical simulations, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the gain are estimated as functions of the noise and the interaction coupling strength. A strong enhancement of the SR phenomenon for this collective variable in comparison with SR in single unit bistable systems is observed. Gains larger than unity are obtained for some parameter values and multifrequency driving forces, indicating that the system is operating in a non-linear regime albeit the smallness of the driving amplitude. The large SNR values observed are basically due to the fact that the output fluctuations are small and short lived, in comparison with their typical values in a linear regime. A non-monotonic behavior of the SNR with the coupling strength is also obtained.