Generic power laws in higher-dimensional lattice models with multidirectional hopping

Abstract

We show that, on a $d-$dimensional hypercubic lattice with $d>1$, conserved-mass transport processes, with {\it multidirectional} hopping that respect all symmetries of the lattice, exhibit power-law correlations for generic parameter values $-$ even {\it far} from phase transition point, if any. The key idea for generating the algebraic decay is the notion of {\it multidirectional} hopping, which means that several chunks of masses, or several particles, can hop out simultaneously from a lattice site in multiple directions, consequently breaking detailed balance. Notably, the systems we consider are described by a continuous-time Markov process, are diffusive, {\it lattice-rotation symmetric}, spatially homogeneous and thus have {\it no} net mass current. Using hydrodynamic and exact microscopic theory, we show that, for spatial dimensions $d > 1$, the steady-state static density-density and ``activity''-density correlation functions in the thermodynamic limit typically decay as $\sim 1/r^{(d+2)}$ at large distance $r=|{\bf r}|$; the strength of the power law is exactly calculated for several models and expressed in terms of the density-dependent bulk-diffusion coefficient and Onsager matrix (or, mobility tensor). In particular, our theory explains why center-of-mass-conserving dynamics, used to model novel disordered {\it hyperuniform} state of matter, result in generic long-ranged correlations. However, in a restricted parameter regime, the correlations can also be short ranged and are characterized through the Onsager matrix.