arXiv subjects

Olivier Bénichou

Publications and source records attributed to Olivier Bénichou.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2022

Path integrals for fractional Brownian motion and fractional Gaussian noise

The Wiener's path integral plays a central role in the studies of Brownian motion. Here we derive exact path-integral representations for the more general \emph{fractional} Brownian motion (fBm) and for its time derivative process -- the fractional Gaussian noise (fGn). These paradigmatic non-Markovian stochastic processes, introduced by Kolmogorov, Mandelbrot and van Ness, found numerous applications across the disciplines, ranging from anomalous diffusion in cellular environments to mathematical finance. Still, their exact path-integral representations were previously unknown. Our formalism exploits the Gaussianity of the fBm and fGn, relies on theory of singular integral equations and overcomes some technical difficulties by representing the action functional for the fBm in terms of the fGn for the sub-diffusive fBm, and in terms of the derivative of the fGn for the super-diffusive fBm. We also extend the formalism to include external forcing. The exact and explicit path-integral representations open new inroads into the studies of the fBm and fGn.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2022

Complete Visitation Statistics of 1d Random Walks

We develop a framework to determine the complete statistical behavior of a fundamental quantity in the theory of random walks, namely, the probability that $n_1$, $n_2$, $n_3$, . . . distinct sites are visited at times $t_1$, $t_2$, $t_3$, ... . From this multiple-time distribution, we show that the visitation statistics of 1d random walks are temporally correlated and we quantify the non-Markovian nature of the process. We exploit these ideas to derive unexpected results for the two-time trapping problem and also to determine the visitation statistics of two important stochastic processes, the run-and-tumble particle and the biased random walk.

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arXiv2022

Exact time dependence of the cumulants of a tracer position in a dense lattice gas

We develop a general method to calculate the exact time dependence of the cumulants of the position of a tracer particle in a dense lattice gas of hardcore particles. More precisely, we calculate the cumulant generating function associated with the position of a tagged particle at arbitrary time, and at leading order in the density of vacancies on the lattice. In particular, our approach gives access to the short-time dynamics of the cumulants of the tracer position -- a regime in which few results are known. The generality of our approach is demonstrated by showing that it goes beyond the case of a symmetric 1D random walk, and covers the important situations of (i) a biased tracer; (ii) comb-like structures; and (iii) $d$-dimensional situations.

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arXiv2022

Exact closure and solution for spatial correlations in single-file diffusion

Single-file transport, where particles diffuse in narrow channels while not overtaking each other, is a fundamental model for the tracer subdiffusion observed in confined systems, such as zeolites or carbon nanotubes. This anomalous behavior originates from strong bath-tracer correlations in 1D, which, despite extensive effort, have however remained elusive, because they involve an infinite hierarchy of equations. Here, for the Symmetric Exclusion Process, a paradigmatic model of single-file diffusion, we break the hierarchy and unveil a closed exact equation satisfied by these correlations, which we solve. Beyond quantifying the correlations, the central role of this key equation as a novel tool for interacting particle systems is further demonstrated by showing that it applies to out-of equilibrium situations, other observables and other representative single-file systems.

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arXiv2022

Splitting Probabilities of Jump Processes

We derive a universal, exact asymptotic form of the splitting probability for symmetric continuous jump processes, which quantifies the probability $ π_{0,\underline{x}}(x_0)$ that the process crosses $x$ before 0 starting from a given position $x_0\in[0,x]$ in the regime $x_0\ll x$. This analysis provides in particular a fully explicit determination of the transmission probability ($x_0=0$), in striking contrast with the trivial prediction $ π_{0,\underline{x}}(0)=0$ obtained by taking the continuous limit of the process, which reveals the importance of the microscopic properties of the dynamics. These results are illustrated with paradigmatic models of jump processes with applications to light scattering in heterogeneous media in realistic 3$d$ slab geometries. In this context, our explicit predictions of the transmission probability, which can be directly measured experimentally, provide a quantitative characterization of the effective random process describing light scattering in the medium.

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arXiv2021

Microscopic theory for the diffusion of an active particle in a crowded environment

We calculate the diffusion coefficient of an active tracer in a schematic crowded environment, represented as a lattice gas of passive particles with hardcore interactions. Starting from the master equation of the problem, we put forward a closure approximation that goes beyond trivial mean-field and provides the diffusion coefficient for an arbitrary density of crowders in the system. We show that our approximation is accurate for a very wide range of parameters, and that it correctly captures numerous nonequilibrium effects, which are the signature of the activity in the system. In addition to the determination of the diffusion coefficient of the tracer, our approach allows us to characterize the perturbation of the environment induced by the displacement of the active tracer. Finally, we consider the asymptotic regimes of low and high densities, in which the expression of the diffusion coefficient of the tracer becomes explicit, and which we argue to be exact.

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arXiv2021

Statistics of the maximum and the convex hull of a Brownian motion in confined geometries

We consider a Brownian particle with diffusion coefficient $D$ in a $d$-dimensional ball of radius $R$ with reflecting boundaries. We study the maximum $M_x(t)$ of the trajectory of the particle along the $x$-direction at time $t$. In the long time limit, the maximum converges to the radius of the ball $M_x(t) \to R$ for $t\to \infty$. We investigate how this limit is approached and obtain an exact analytical expression for the distribution of the fluctuations $Δ(t) = [R-M_x(t)]/R$ in the limit of large $t$ in all dimensions. We find that the distribution of $Δ(t)$ exhibits a rich variety of behaviors depending on the dimension $d$. These results are obtained by establishing a connection between this problem and the narrow escape time problem. We apply our results in $d=2$ to study the convex hull of the trajectory of the particle in a disk of radius $R$ with reflecting boundaries. We find that the mean perimeter $\langle L(t)\rangle$ of the convex hull exhibits a slow convergence towards the perimeter of the circle $2πR$ with a stretched exponential decay $2πR-\langle L(t)\rangle \propto \sqrt{R}(Dt)^{1/4} \,e^{-2\sqrt{2Dt}/R}$. Finally, we generalise our results to other confining geometries, such as the ellipse with reflecting boundaries. Our results are corroborated by thorough numerical simulations.

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arXiv2021

Universal kinetics of imperfect reactions in confinement

Chemical reactions generically require that particles come into contact. In practice, reaction is often imperfect and can necessitate multiple random encounters between reactants. In confined geometries, despite notable recent advances, there is to date no general analytical treatment of such imperfect transport-limited reaction kinetics. Here, we determine the kinetics of imperfect reactions in confining domains for any diffusive or anomalously diffusive Markovian transport process, and for different models of imperfect reactivity. We show that the full distribution of reaction times is obtained in the large confining volume limit from the knowledge of the mean reaction time only, which we determine explicitly. This distribution for imperfect reactions is found to be identical to that of perfect reactions upon an appropriate rescaling of parameters, which highlights the robustness of our results. Strikingly, this holds true even in the regime of low reactivity where the mean reaction time is independent of the transport process, and can lead to large fluctuations of the reaction time even in simple reaction schemes. We illustrate our results for normal diffusion in domains of generic shape, and for anomalous diffusion in complex environments, where our predictions are confirmed by numerical simulations.

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arXiv2021

Binary lattice-gases of particles with soft exclusion: Exact phase diagrams for tree-like lattices

We study equilibrium properties of binary lattice-gases comprising $A$ and $B$ particles, which undergo continuous exchanges with their respective reservoirs, maintained at chemical potentials $μ_A = μ_B = μ$. The particles interact via on-site hard-core exclusion and also between the nearest-neighbours: there are a soft repulsion for $AB$ pairs and interactions of arbitrary strength $J$, positive or negative, for $AA$ and $BB$ pairs. For tree-like Bethe and Husimi lattices, we determine the full phase diagram of such a ternary mixture of particles and voids. We show that for $J$ being above a lattice-dependent threshold value, the critical behaviour is similar: the system undergoes a transition at $μ= μ_c$ from a phase with equal mean densities of species into a phase with a spontaneously broken symmetry, in which the mean densities are no longer equal. Depending on the value of $J$, this transition can be either continuous or of the first order. For sufficiently big negative $J$, the behaviour on the two lattices becomes markedly different: while for the Bethe lattice there exists a continuous transition into a phase with an alternating order followed by a continuous re-entrant transition into a disordered phase, an alternating order phase is absent on the Husimi lattice due to strong frustration effects.

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arXiv2021

Generalised density profiles in single-file systems

Single-file diffusion refers to the motion in narrow channels of particles which cannot bypass each other. These strong correlations between particles lead to tracer subdiffusion, which has been observed in contexts as varied as transport in porous media, zeolites or confined colloidal suspensions, and theoretically studied in numerous works. Most approaches to this celebrated many-body problem were restricted to the description of the tracer only, whose essential properties, such as large deviation functions or two-time correlation functions, were determined only recently. Here, we go beyond this standard description by introducing and determining analytically generalised density profiles (GDPs) in the frame of the tracer. In addition to controlling the statistical properties of the tracer, these quantities fully characterise the correlations between the tracer position and the bath particles density. Considering the hydrodynamic limit of the problem, we unveil universal scaling properties of the GDPs with space and time, and a non-monotonic dependence with the distance to the tracer despite the absence of any asymmetry. Our analytical approach provides exact results for the GDPs of paradigmatic models of single-file diffusion, such as Brownian particles with hardcore repulsion, the Symmetric Exclusion Process and the Random Average Process. The range of applicability of our approach is further illustrated by considering extensions to general interactions between particles and out-of-equilibrium situations.

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arXiv2021

Reply to Comment on "Inverse Square Lévy Walks are not Optimal Search Strategies for d \geq 2 "

We refute here the concernes raised in the Comment of our letter. This reply states clearly the validity range of our results and shows that the optimality of inverse-square Levy walks at the basis of the Levy flight foraging hypothesis is generically unfounded. We also give the precise set of conditions for which inverse-levy square Levy walks turn to be optimal, conditions which are unlikely to be verified biologically.

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arXiv2020

Pair correlation of dilute Active Brownian Particles: from low activity dipolar correction to high activity algebraic depletion wings

We study the pair correlation of Active Brownian Particles at low density using numerical simulations and analytical calculations. We observe a winged pair correlation: while particles accumulate in front of an active particle as expected, the depletion wake consists of two depletion wings. In the limit of soft particles, we obtain a closed equation for the pair correlation, allowing us to characterize the depletion wings. In particular, we unveil two regimes at high activity where the wings adopt a self-similar profile and decay algebraically. We also perform experiments of self-propelled Janus particles and indeed observe the depletion wings.

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arXiv2020

Cumulant generating functions of a tracer in quenched dense symmetric exclusion processes

The Symmetric Exclusion Process (SEP), where particles hop on a 1D lattice with the restriction that there can only be one particle per site, is a paradigmatic model of interacting particle systems. Recently, it has been shown that the nature of the initial conditions - annealed or quenched - has a quantitative impact on the long-time properties of tracer diffusion. However, so far, all the studies in the quenched case focused on the low-density limit of the SEP. Here, we derive the cumulant generating function of the tracer position in the dense limit with quenched initial conditions. Importantly, our approach also allows us to consider the nonequilibrium situations of (i) a biased tracer in the SEP and (ii) a symmetric tracer in a step of density. In the former situation, we show that the initial conditions have a striking impact, and change the very dependence of the cumulants on the bias.

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arXiv2020

Equilibrium properties of two-species reactive lattice gases on random catalytic chains

We focus here on the thermodynamic properties of adsorbates formed by two-species $A+B \to \oslash$ reactions on a one-dimensional infinite lattice with heterogeneous "catalytic" properties. In our model hard-core $A$ and $B$ particles undergo continuous exchanges with their reservoirs and react when dissimilar species appear at neighboring lattice sites in presence of a "catalyst." The latter is modeled by supposing either that randomly chosen bonds in the lattice promote reactions (Model I) or that reactions are activated by randomly chosen lattice sites (Model II). In the case of annealed disorder in spatial distribution of a catalyst we calculate the pressure of the adsorbate by solving three-site (Model I) or four-site (Model II) recursions obeyed by the corresponding averaged grand-canonical partition functions. In the case of quenched disorder, we use two complementary approaches to find $\textit{exact}$ expressions for the pressure. The first approach is based on direct combinatorial arguments. In the second approach, we frame the model in terms of random matrices; the pressure is then represented as an averaged logarithm of the trace of a product of random $3 \times 3$ matrices -- either uncorrelated (Model I) or sequentially correlated (Model II).

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arXiv2020

Kinetics of rare events for non-Markovian stationary processes and application to polymer dynamics

How much time does it take for a fluctuating system, such as a polymer chain, to reach a target configuration that is rarely visited -- typically because of a high energy cost ? This question generally amounts to the determination of the first-passage time statistics to a target zone in phase space with lower occupation probability. Here, we present an analytical method to determine the mean first-passage time of a generic non-Markovian random walker to a rarely visited threshold, which goes beyond existing weak-noise theories. We apply our method to polymer systems, to determine (i) the first time for a flexible polymer to reach a large extension, and (ii) the first closure time of a stiff inextensible wormlike chain. Our results are in excellent agreement with numerical simulations and provide explicit asymptotic laws for the mean first-passage times to rarely visited configurations.

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arXiv2019

Superionic liquids in conducting nanoslits: A variety of phase transitions and ensuing charging behavior

We develop a theory of charge storage in ultra-narrow slit-like pores of nano\-structured electrodes. Our analysis is based on the Blume-Capel model in external field, which we solve analytically on a Bethe lattice. The obtained solutions allow us to explore the complete phase diagram of confined ionic liquids in terms of the key parameters characterising the system, such as pore ionophilicity, interionic interaction energy and voltage. The phase diagram includes the lines of first and second-order, direct and re-entrant, phase transitions, which are manifested by singularities in the corresponding capacitance-voltage plots. To test our predictions experimentally requires mono-disperse, conducting, ultra-narrow slit pores, permitting only one layer of ions, and thick pore walls, preventing interionic interactions across the pore walls. However, some qualitative features, which distinguish the behavior of ionophilic and ionophobic pores, and its underlying physics, may emerge in future experimental studies of more complex electrode structures.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2019

Bath-Mediated Interactions between Driven Tracers in Dense Single-Files

Single-file transport, where particles cannot bypass each other, has been observed in various experimental setups. In such systems, the behaviour of a tracer particle (TP) is subdiffusive, which originates from strong correlations between particles. These correlations are especially marked when the TP is driven and leads to inhomogeneous density profiles. Determining the impact of this inhomogeneity when several TPs are driven in the system is a key question, related to the general issue of bath-mediated interactions, which are known to induce collective motion and lead to the formation of clusters or lanes in a variety of systems. Quantifying this collective behaviour, the emerging interactions and their dependence on the amplitude of forces driving the TPs, remains a challenging but largely unresolved issue. Here, considering dense single-file systems, we analytically determine the entire dynamics of the correlations and reveal out of equilibrium cooperativity and competition effects between driven TPs.

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arXiv2018

Dynamics of Run-and-Tumble Particles in Dense Single-File Systems

We study a minimal model of self-propelled particle in a crowded single-file environment. We extend classical models of exclusion processes (previously analyzed for diffusive and driven tracer particles) to the case where the tracer particle is a run-and-tumble particle (RTP), while all bath particles perform symmetric random walks. In the limit of high density of bath particles, we derive exact expressions for the full distribution $\mathcal{P}_n(X)$ of the RTP position $X$ and all its cumulants, valid for arbitrary values of the tumbling probability $α$ and time $n$. Our results highlight striking effects of crowding on the dynamics: even cumulants of the RTP position are increasing functions of $α$ at intermediate timescales, and display a subdiffusive anomalous scaling $\propto \sqrt{n}$ independent of $α$ in the limit of long times $n\to \infty$. These analytical results set the ground for a quantitative analysis of experimental trajectories of real biological or artificial microswimmers in extreme confinement.

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