Resetting dynamics in a confining potential

We study Brownian motion in a confining potential under a constant-rate resetting to a reset position x ₀. The relaxation of this system to the steady-state exhibits a dynamic phase transition, and is achieved in a light cone region which grows linearly with time. When an absorbing boundary is introduced, effecting a symmetry breaking of the system, we find that resetting aids the barrier escape only when the particle starts on the same side as the barrier with respect to the origin. We find that the optimal resetting rate exhibits a continuous phase transition with critical exponent of unity. Exact expressions are derived for the mean escape time, the second moment, and the coefficient of variation (CV). (paper)