Noise-controlled resonance behavior in nonlinear dynamical systems with broken symmetry

We study noise-controlled resonant behavior in periodically modulated, overdamped bistable dynamic elements subject to a symmetry-breaking de signal. The spectral amplitudes of the harmonics of the modulation frequency are found to exhibit multiple maxima whose occurrence depends on matchings of deterministic and stochastic time scales; in turn, these times depend on the noise statistics and the degree of asymmetry. We demonstrate the phenomenological results via analytical and numerical computations on an rf SQUID loop, and propose this technique to detect weak signals using a ''frequency hopping'' mechanism to circumvent detector noise limitations.