Space-dependent diffusion with stochastic resetting: A first-passage study

Abstract

We explore the effect of stochastic resetting on the first-passage properties of space-dependent diffusion in presence of a constant bias. In our analytically tractable model system, a particle diffusing in a linear potential $U(x)\propto\mu |x|$ with a spatially varying diffusion coefficient $D(x)=D_0|x|$ undergoes stochastic resetting, i.e., returns to its initial position $x_0$ at random intervals of time, with a constant rate $r$. Considering an absorbing boundary placed at $x_a 0$), it eventually reaches the origin. Resetting accelerates such first-passage when $\nu<3$, but hinders its completion for $\nu>3$. A resetting transition is therefore observed at $\nu=3$, and we provide a comprehensive analysis of the same. The present study paves the way for an array of theoretical and experimental works that combine stochastic resetting with inhomogeneous diffusion in a conservative force-field.