Universality in escape from a modulated potential well

M. I. Dykman, B. Golding, J. R. Kruse, L. I. McCann, D. Ryvkine

Published 2002-04-29Version 1

We show that the rate of activated escape $W$ from a periodically modulated potential displays scaling behavior versus modulation amplitude $A$. For adiabatic modulation of an optically trapped Brownian particle, measurements yield $\ln W\propto (A_{\rm c} - A)^{\mu}$ with $\mu = 1.5$. The theory gives $\mu=3/2$ in the adiabatic limit and predicts a crossover to $\mu=2$ scaling as $A$ approaches the bifurcation point where the metastable state disappears.