Exact large deviation functional of a stationary open driven diffusive system: The asymmetric exclusion process (Q1871918)

The authors study the asymmetric exclusion process (ASEP) in one dimension on lattice sites \( i=1,\ldots, N, \) in contact at the boundary sites with infinite particle reservoirs at densities \( \rho_a \) and \( \rho_b \). The indices \( a \) and \( b\) correspond to the macroscopic description for the macroscopic variable \( x\in[a,b] \) for the macroscopic density profile \( \rho(x) \). The typical macroscopic density profile \( \overline{\rho}(x) \) exhibits, when the reservoir densities \( \rho_a \) and \( \rho_b \) are varied, shocks and phase transitions in the limit \( N=L(b-a)\to\infty \). The main result of the article is an exact asymptotic expression for the probability of observing an arbitrary macroscopic profile \( \rho(x) \): \[ P_N(\{\rho(x)\})\sim\exp( -L\mathcal{F}(\{\rho(x)\};\rho_a,\rho_b)), \] where \( \mathcal{F} \) is the large deviation functional. This functional is obtained via an additivity relation, where one can split the system in many smaller subsystems, each with given slowly varying boundary densities. This approach allows the authors to avoid to elaborate the direct method via the famous matrix product ansatz (MPA), done for example for the simple symmetric exclusion process of the authors [ibid. 107, 599-634 (2002; Zbl 1067.82047)], and instead to use the results therein for each single subsystem via the additivity relation. For both cases, i.e., for \( \rho_a\geq \rho_b \) and for \( \rho_b\geq \rho_a \), explicit expressions for the large deviation functional are given. Like the one found for the symmetric case in the paper quoted above and in [the authors, Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 150601 (2001)], these functionals are non-local functions of the profile \( \{\rho(x)\} \). This non-locality is a general feature expected for non-equilibrium systems. The expressions of the large deviation functional take different forms in the fan region \( \rho_a > \rho_b \) (where the reservoirs and the bulk asymmetry cooperate) and in the shock region \( \rho_a <\rho_b \) (where they act in opposite direction), reflect several qualitative differences: In the fan region the probability of macroscopic deviations from the typical density profile is reduced compared with that in an equilibrium system (see the last quoted paper). Additional for the so-called current phase C (one distinguishes three main phases A (low density), B (high density) and C (current \( \overline{\rho}(x)=\frac{1}{2} \))) the fluctuations of the density profile cannot be calculated from large deviation functional and these fluctuations are in general not Gaussian. In the shock region the large deviation functional \( \mathcal{F} \) is not convex in \( \rho \) and the typical macroscopic deviations are increased rather than reduced. One section of the article is devoted to a careful analysis of the matrix product ansatz and the proof of the additivity relation, whereas one section describes in detail the fluctuations.