title: Passage through a barrier with a slowly increasing control parameter
abstract: A bistable system subjected to noise and a slow increase of the parameter controlling the instability is studied, with emphasis on the kinetics of the transitions across the barrier separating the stable states. It is shown that the presence of a ramp in the control parameter may considerably affect the distribution of probability mass on the two sides of the barrier as compared to the predictions of the classical Kramers theory.
authors.affiliation: Institut Royal Meteorologique de Belgique, Avenue Circulaire 3, 1180 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nicolis
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nicolis