Nonlinear dynamical systems possessing reflection symmetry have an invariant subspace in the phase space. The dynamics within the invariant subspace can be random or chaotic. As a system parameter changes, the motion transverse to the invariant subspace can lose stability, leading to on-off intermittency. Under certain conditions, the bursting behavior is symmetry breaking. We demonstrate the possibility of observing multiplicative noise(chaos)-induced amplification of weak signal and stochastic resonance via on-off intermittency with symmetry breaking in a general class of symmetrical systems. Differences of this mechanism of stochastic resonance to that in noisy bistable or threshold systems are discussed.

• Received 12 February 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.60.3928