Phase transition in a generalized Eden growth model on a tree (Q858046)

The late time statistics of the number of particles in an Eden growth model on a tree are studied. In the model, a cluster grows in continuous time on a binary Cayley tree, starting from the root, by absorbing new particles at the empty perimeter sites at a rate proportional to \(c^{-l}\) where \(c\) is a positive parameter and \(l\) is the distance of the perimeter site from the root. In the paper the mean and the variance of the number of particles at large times are calculated. It is shown that the variance undergoes a phase transition at a critical value \(c=\sqrt{2}.\) The model is generalized to one where growth occurs on a tree with \(m\) branches and it is shown that the critical point occurs at \(c=\sqrt{m}.\)