Phase fluctuations in the ABC model (Q658432)

The problem of recovering of macroscopic reaction-diffusion equations from the underlying microscopic models and to study the evolution of these models is of great importance. The paper under review studies one such model -- the 1-dimensional ABC model. (ABC stands for A, B and C species involved in this model.) A surprising property of such a model in its steady state regime lies in the fact that while being 1-dimensional, it exhibits phase transitions. The model has a ring topology. It describes a lattice gas of 3 species of particles undergoing exchanges between the neighboring sites. The total number of sites is \(L\) and the exchange depends upon types of particles sitting at neighboring sites. The degree of asymmetry of such an exchange \(0<q\leq 1\) makes this model to behave interestingly as soon as \(q<1\). The results are obtained using both large deviations and fluctuating hydrodynamics approaches. Analytical results are checked by numerical (Monte Carlo) simulations. The most studied and best understood case is when all 3 species of particles are having the same density. Simulation becomes necessary and the results become less clear when the densities differ. In such a case a partial understanding of dynamics is also achieved.