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arXiv · 2503.23594

Noise-induced transition to stop-and-go waves in single-file traffic rationalized by an analogy with Kapitza's inverted pendulum

Oscar Dufour·Jakob Cordes·Alexandre Nicolas·Antoine Tordeux·David Rodney·Andreas Schadschneider
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Abstract

Stop-and-go waves in vehicular traffic are commonly explained as a linear collective instability induced by e.g. response delays. We explore an alternative mechanism that more faithfully mirrors oscillation formation in dense single-file traffic. Stochastic noise plays a key role in this model; as it is increased, the base (uniform) flow abruptly switches to stop-and-go dynamics despite its unconditional linear stability. We elucidate the instability mechanism and rationalize it quantitatively by likening the system to a cyclically driven Kapitza pendulum.

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Oscar Dufour, Jakob Cordes, Alexandre Nicolas, Antoine Tordeux, David Rodney, Andreas Schadschneider. 2025-03-30. Noise-induced transition to stop-and-go waves in single-file traffic rationalized by an analogy with Kapitza's inverted pendulum. https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.23594

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