Mean first-passage time of a bistable kinetic model driven by two different kinds of coloured noises

The transient properties of a bistable system are investigated when both the multiplicative noise and the coupling between additive and multiplicative noises are coloured with different correlation time tau(1) and tau(2). The mean first-passage time (MFPT) is obtained. The numerical computations show that the intensities of additive and multiplicative noises and the coupling strength lambda affected the MFPT in the same way, while tau(1) and tau(2) play different roles in the MFPT. The increase of tau(1) can reduce the escape rate, while increase of tau(2) can enhance the escape rate. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.