4 research outputs found
Jamming transition in a homogeneous one-dimensional system: the Bus Route Model
We present a driven diffusive model which we call the Bus Route Model. The
model is defined on a one-dimensional lattice, with each lattice site having
two binary variables, one of which is conserved (``buses'') and one of which is
non-conserved (``passengers''). The buses are driven in a preferred direction
and are slowed down by the presence of passengers who arrive with rate lambda.
We study the model by simulation, heuristic argument and a mean-field theory.
All these approaches provide strong evidence of a transition between an
inhomogeneous ``jammed'' phase (where the buses bunch together) and a
homogeneous phase as the bus density is increased. However, we argue that a
strict phase transition is present only in the limit lambda -> 0. For small
lambda, we argue that the transition is replaced by an abrupt crossover which
is exponentially sharp in 1/lambda. We also study the coarsening of gaps
between buses in the jammed regime. An alternative interpretation of the model
is given in which the spaces between ``buses'' and the buses themselves are
interchanged. This describes a system of particles whose mobility decreases the
longer they have been stationary and could provide a model for, say, the flow
of a gelling or sticky material along a pipe.Comment: 17 pages Revtex, 20 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.