Limit cycle induced by multiplicative noise in a system of coupled Brownian motors

We study a model consisting of N nonlinear oscillators with global periodic coupling, and local multiplicative and additive noises. The model was shown to undergo a nonequilibrium phase transition towards a broken-symmetry phase exhibiting noise-induced "ratchet" behavior. A previous study [H. S. Wio, S. Mangioni, and R. Deza, Physica D 168-169, 184 (2002)] focused on the relationship between the character of the hysteresis loop, the number of "homogeneous" mean-field solutions, and the shape of the stationary mean-field probability distribution function. Here, we show-as suggested by the absence of stable solutions when the load force is beyond a critical value-the existence of a limit cycle induced by both multiplicative noise and global periodic coupling.