Stochastic flows, reaction-diffusion processes, and morphogenesis (Q1072234)

Recently, an exact procedure has been introduced by \textit{C. A. Walsh} and \textit{J. J. Kozak}, [Phys. Rev. Lett. 47, 1500 ff (1981)] for calculating the expected walk length \(<n>\) for a walker undergoing random displacements on a finite or infinite (periodic) d-dimensional lattice with traps (reactive sites). The method is applied here to several problems in lattice statistics for each of which exact results are presented. First, we assess the importance of lattice geometry in influencing the efficiency of reaction-diffusion processes in simple and multiple trap systems by reporting values of \(<n>\) for square (cubic) versus hexagonal lattices in \(d=2,3\). We then show how the method may be applied to variable-step (distance-dependent) walks for a single walker on a given lattice and also demonstrate the calculation of the expected walk length \(<n>\) for the case of multiple walkers. Finally, we make contact with recent discussions of ''mixing'' by showing that the degree of chaos associated with flows in certain lattice systems can be calibrated by monitoring the lattice walks induced by the Poincaré map of a certain parabolic function.