2D target search with boundary-induced resetting
Abstract
Most studies of stochastic search processes with resetting focus on spontaneous resetting events that occur at a random sequence of times typically generated by a Poisson process. One of the major consequences of spontaneous resetting is that it yields a finite mean first passage time (MFPT) in unbounded domains, resulting in an optimal resetting rate that minimises the MFPT. An optimal resetting rate can also occur in bounded domains provided that the reset point is not too far from the target. Recently, there has been growing interest in event-based rather than spontaneous resetting, where resetting is triggered when a specific threshold is reached. Identifying the threshold with a physical non-target boundary then leads to so-called boundary-induced resetting. In this paper, we explore the effects of boundary-induced resetting on single-particle diffusive search in a two-dimensional (2D) bounded domain Ω containing one or more small interior targets. The interior target boundaries are totally absorbing, whereas the exterior boundary ∂ Ω is sticky. That is, whenever the particle reaches a point on ∂ Ω it remains attached for a random waiting time τ after which it immediately resets to a fixed interior point x0∈ Ω. Using renewal theory, matched asymptotic analysis and Green's functions we calculate the unconditional MFPT for absorption by any of the targets and compare this with the corresponding MFPT of a search process on the same domain with a reflecting surface ∂ Ω and no resetting. We show that boundary-induced resetting only reduces the MFPT relative to the no resetting case if the searcher's reset point x0 is sufficiently close to one of the targets.
Related
- A proof of Ross's conjecture for two-site moving-target search
- Universality in the target arrival statistics of non-conservative search processes
- Statistical reduction before the target is known: two boundary results
- The Positive Defect Problem: Target and Admissibility Criteria for a Programmatic Search for Unforced Navier-Stokes Blowup
- Cluster-induced target shift and synthetic approximation for high-dimensional clustered data
BibTeX
@misc{chen2026target,
title = {{2D target search with boundary-induced resetting}},
author = {Kevin Chen and Paul C. Bressloff},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.31085},
eprint = {2609.31085},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.31085},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - 2D target search with boundary-induced resetting
AU - Kevin Chen
AU - Paul C. Bressloff
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/25
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.31085
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.31085
AB - Most studies of stochastic search processes with resetting focus on spontaneous resetting events that occur at a random sequence of times typically generated by a Poisson process. One of the major consequences of spontaneous resetting is that it yields a finite mean first passage time (MFPT) in unbounded domains, resulting in an optimal resetting rate that minimises the MFPT. An optimal resetting rate can also occur in bounded domains provided that the reset point is not too far from the target. Recently, there has been growing interest in event-based rather than spontaneous resetting, where resetting is triggered when a specific threshold is reached. Identifying the threshold with a physical non-target boundary then leads to so-called boundary-induced resetting. In this paper, we explore the effects of boundary-induced resetting on single-particle diffusive search in a two-dimensional (2D) bounded domain Ω containing one or more small interior targets. The interior target boundaries are totally absorbing, whereas the exterior boundary ∂ Ω is sticky. That is, whenever the particle reaches a point on ∂ Ω it remains attached for a random waiting time τ after which it immediately resets to a fixed interior point x_0∈ Ω. Using renewal theory, matched asymptotic analysis and Green's functions we calculate the unconditional MFPT for absorption by any of the targets and compare this with the corresponding MFPT of a search process on the same domain with a reflecting surface ∂ Ω and no resetting. We show that boundary-induced resetting only reduces the MFPT relative to the no resetting case if the searcher's reset point x_0 is sufficiently close to one of the targets.
ER -