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We propose to compute the effective activation energy, usually referred to a pseudopotential or quasipotential, of a birhythmic system -- a van der Pol like oscillator -- in the presence of correlated noise. It is demonstrated, with analytical techniques and numerical simulations, that the correlated noise can be taken into account and one can retrieve the low noise rate of the escapes. We thus conclude that a pseudopotential, or an effective activation energy, is a realistic description for the stability of birhythmic attractors also in the presence of correlated noise.

We investigate the effects of exponentially correlated noise on birhythmic van der Pol type oscillators. The analytical results are obtained applying the quasi-harmonic assumption to the Langevin equation to derive an approximated Fokker-Planck equation. This approach allows to analytically derive the probability distributions as well as the activation energies associated to switching between coexisting attractors. The stationary probability density function of the van der Pol oscillator reveals the influence of the correlation time on the dynamics. Stochastic bifurcations are discussed through a qualitative change of the stationary probability distribution, which indicates that noise intensity and correlation time can be treated as bifurcation parameters. Comparing the analytical and numerical results, we find good agreement both when the frequencies of the attractors are about equal or when they are markedly different.