arXiv subjects

P. L. Krapivsky

Publications and source records attributed to P. L. Krapivsky.

301 records · Page 17Linked to original sources

arXiv1995

Heterogeneous Catalysis on a Disordered Surface

We introduce a simple model of heterogeneous catalysis on a disordered surface which consists of two types of randomly distributed sites with different adsorption rates. Disorder can create a reactive steady state in situations where the same model on a homogeneous surface exhibits trivial kinetics with no steady state. A rich variety of kinetic behaviors occur for the adsorbate concentrations and catalytic reaction rate as a function of model parameters.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1995

Aggregation with Multiple Conservation Laws

Aggregation processes with an arbitrary number of conserved quantities are investigated. On the mean-field level, an exact solution for the size distribution is obtained. The asymptotic form of this solution exhibits nontrivial ``double'' scaling. While processes with one conserved quantity are governed by a single scale, processes with multiple conservation laws exhibit an additional diffusion-like scale. The theory is applied to ballistic aggregation with mass and momentum conserving collisions and to diffusive aggregation with multiple species.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1995

Life and Death at the Edge of a Windy Cliff

The survival probability of a particle diffusing in the two dimensional domain $x>0$ near a ``windy cliff'' at $x=0$ is investigated. The particle dies upon reaching the edge of the cliff. In addition to diffusion, the particle is influenced by a steady ``wind shear'' with velocity $\vec v(x,y)=v\,{\rm sign}(y)\,\hat x$, \ie, no average bias either toward or away from the cliff. For this semi-infinite system, the particle survival probability decays with time as $t^{-1/4}$, compared to $t^{-1/2}$ in the absence of wind. Scaling descriptions are developed to elucidate this behavior, as well as the survival probability within a semi-infinite strip of finite width $|y|<w$ with particle absorption at $x=0$. The behavior in the strip geometry can be described in terms of Taylor diffusion, an approach which accounts for the crossover to the $t^{-1/4}$ decay when the width of the strip diverges. Supporting numerical simulations of our analytical results are presented.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1995

Kinetics of A+B--->0 with Driven Diffusive Motion

We study the kinetics of two-species annihilation, A+B--->0, when all particles undergo strictly biased motion in the same direction and with an excluded volume repulsion between same species particles. It was recently shown that the density in this system decays as t^{-1/3}, compared to t^{-1/4} density decay in A+B--->0 with isotropic diffusion and either with or without the hard-core repulsion. We suggest a relatively simple explanation for this t^{-1/3} decay based on the Burgers equation. Related properties associated with the asymptotic distribution of reactants can also be accounted for within this Burgers equation description.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1995

Life and Death in a Cage and at the Edge of a Cliff

The survival probabilities of a ``prisoner'' diffusing in an expanding cage and a ``daredevil'' diffusing at the edge of a receding cliff are investigated. When the diffuser reaches the boundary, he dies. For ``marginal'' boundary motion, i.e., the cage length grows as $\sqrt{At}$ or the cliff location recedes as $x_0(t)=-\sqrt{At}$ and the daredevil diffuses within the domain $x>x_0$, the survival probability of the diffuser exhibits non-universal power-law behavior, $S(t)\sim t^{-\b}$, which depends on the relative rates of boundary and diffuser motion. Heuristic approaches are applied for the cases of ``slow'' and ``fast'' boundary motion which yield approximate expressions for $\b$. An asymptotically exact analysis of these two problems is also performed and the approximate expressions for $\b$ coincide with the exact results for nearly entire range of possible boundary motions.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1995

Diffusion-Limited Annihilation with Initially Separated Reactants

A diffusion-limited annihilation process, A+B->0, with species initially separated in space is investigated. A heuristic argument suggests the form of the reaction rate in dimensions less or equal to the upper critical dimension $d_c=2$. Using this reaction rate we find that the width of the reaction front grows as $t^{1/4}$ in one dimension and as $t^{1/6}(\ln t)^{1/3}$ in two dimensions.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1994

Ballistic Annihilation Kinetics: The Case of Discrete Velocity Distributions

The kinetics of the annihilation process, $A+A\to 0$, with ballistic particle motion is investigated when the distribution of particle velocities is {\it discrete}. This discreteness is the source of many intriguing phenomena. In the mean field limit, the densities of different velocity species decay in time with different power law rates for many initial conditions. For a one-dimensional symmetric system containing particles with velocity 0 and $\pm 1$, there is a particular initial state for which the concentrations of all three species as decay as $t^{-2/3}$. For the case of a fast ``impurity'' in a symmetric background of $+$ and $-$ particles, the impurity survival probability decays as $\exp(-{\rm const.}\times \ln^2t)$. In a symmetric 4-velocity system in which there are particles with velocities $\pm v_1$ and $\pm v_2$, there again is a special initial condition where the two species decay at the same rate, $t^{-\a}$, with $\a\cong 0.72$. Efficient algorithms are introduced to perform the large-scale simulations necessary to observe these unusual phenomena clearly.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1994

Scaling and Multiscaling in Models of Fragmentation

We introduce a simple geometric model which describes the kinetics of fragmentation of d-dimensional objects. In one dimension our model coincides with the random scission model and show a simple scaling behavior in the long-time limit. For d>1, the volume of the fragments is characterized by a single scale 1/t, while other geometric properties such as the length are characterized by an infinite number of length scales and thus exhibit multiscaling.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1994

Kinetics of Heterogeneous Single-Species Annihilation

We investigate the kinetics of diffusion-controlled heterogeneous single-species annihilation, where the diffusivity of each particle may be different. The concentration of the species with the smallest diffusion coefficient has the same time dependence as in homogeneous single-species annihilation, A+A-->0. However, the concentrations of more mobile species decay as power laws in time, but with non-universal exponents that depend on the ratios of the corresponding diffusivities to that of the least mobile species. We determine these exponents both in a mean-field approximation, which should be valid for spatial dimension d>2, and in a phenomenological Smoluchowski theory which is applicable in d<2. Our theoretical predictions compare well with both Monte Carlo simulations and with time series expansions.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1994

Cluster Approximation for the Contact Process

The one-dimensional contact process is analyzed by a cluster approximation. In this approach, the hierarchy of rate equations for the densities of finite length empty intervals are truncated under the assumption that adjacent intervals are not correlated. This assumption yields a first order phase transition from an active state to the adsorbing state. Despite the apparent failure of this approximation in describing the critical behavior, our approach provides an accurate description of the steady state properties for a significant range of desorption rates. Moreover, the resulting critical exponents are closer to the simulation values in comparison with site mean-field theory.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1994

Diffusion-Limited Aggregation Processes with 3-Particle Elementary Reactions

A diffusion-limited aggregation process, in which clusters coalesce by means of 3-particle reaction, A+A+A->A, is investigated. In one dimension we give a heuristic argument that predicts logarithmic corrections to the mean-field asymptotic behavior for the concentration of clusters of mass $m$ at time $t$, $c(m,t)~m^{-1/2}(log(t)/t)^{3/4}$, for $1 << m << \sqrt{t/log(t)}$. The total concentration of clusters, $c(t)$, decays as $c(t)~\sqrt{log(t)/t}$ at $t --> \infty$. We also investigate the problem with a localized steady source of monomers and find that the steady-state concentration $c(r)$ scales as $r^{-1}(log(r))^{1/2}$, $r^{-1}$, and $r^{-1}(log(r))^{-1/2}$, respectively, for the spatial dimension $d$ equal to 1, 2, and 3. The total number of clusters, $N(t)$, grows with time as $(log(t))^{3/2}$, $t^{1/2}$, and $t(log(t))^{-1/2}$ for $d$ = 1, 2, and 3. Furthermore, in three dimensions we obtain an asymptotic solution for the steady state cluster-mass distribution: $c(m,r) \sim r^{-1}(log(r))^{-1}Φ(z)$, with the scaling function $Φ(z)=z^{-1/2}\exp(-z)$ and the scaling variable $z ~ m/\sqrt{log(r)}$.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1994

Kinetics of Clustering in Traffic Flows

We study a simple aggregation model that mimics the clustering of traffic on a one-lane roadway. In this model, each ``car'' moves ballistically at its initial velocity until it overtakes the preceding car or cluster. After this encounter, the incident car assumes the velocity of the cluster which it has just joined. The properties of the initial distribution of velocities in the small velocity limit control the long-time properties of the aggregation process. For an initial velocity distribution with a power-law tail at small velocities, $\pvim$ as $v \to 0$, a simple scaling argument shows that the average cluster size grows as $n \sim t^{\va}$ and that the average velocity decays as $v \sim t^{-\vb}$ as $t\to \infty$. We derive an analytical solution for the survival probability of a single car and an asymptotically exact expression for the joint mass-velocity distribution function. We also consider the properties of spatially heterogeneous traffic and the kinetics of traffic clustering in the presence of an input of cars.

cond-mat↗

arXiv1993

Collectiive Properties of Adsorption-Desorption Processes

A reversible adsorption-desorption parking process in one dimension is studied. An exact solution for the equilibrium properties is obtained. The coverage near saturation depends logarithmically on the ratio between the adsorption rate, $\k_+$, and the desorption rate, $\k_-$, \hbox{$\req\cong 1-1/\log(k_+/k_-)$}, when $\k_+\gg\k_-$. A time dependent version of the reversible problem with immediate adsorption ($k_+=\infty$) is also considered. Both heuristic arguments and numerical simulations reveal a logarithmically slow approach to the completely covered state, \hbox{$1-ρ(t)\sim 1/\log(t)$}.

cond-mat↗