Shift equivalence of measures and the intrinsic structure of shocks in the asymmetric simple exclusion process (Q1809439)

In mathematically oriented research on statistical mechanics of infinite particle systems at equilibrium, translationally invariant probability measures are the major technical tool. A standard example of Gibbs measures for the nearest neighbour Ising model at low temperatures allows to identify various ways in which the non-translation invariant might arise. The main focus of the paper is a nonequilibrium example of the one-dimensional asymmetric simple exclusion process, that on the (Euler) macroscopic space-time scale is described by the inviscid Burgers equation for the particle density. A natural question is then to find out which particular microscopic features would correspond to shock solutions of the Burgers equation. It is found that so-called shift equivalent (non-translation invariant) measures describe the microscopic structures of shocks that are generated in different ways. In particular: via initial conditions in an infinite system or by boundary conditions in a large but finite system.