Stochastic resonance for nonlinear sensors with saturation

Abstract

We analyze the transmission of a noisy signal by sensor devices which are linear for small inputs and saturate at large inputs. Large information-carrying signals are thus distorted in their transmission. We demonstrate conditions where addition of noise to such large input signals can reduce the distortion that they undergo in the transmission. This is established for periodic, as well as aperiodic, and random information-carrying signals. Various measures characterizing the transmission, such as signal-to-noise ratio, input-output cross correlation, and mutual information, are shown improvable by addition of noise. These results constitute another instance of the nonlinear phenomenon of stochastic resonance where addition of noise enhances the signal.