Three-Species Diffusion-Limited Reaction with Continuous Density-Decay Exponents

We introduce a model of three-species two-particle diffusion-limited reactions A+B -> A or B, B+C -> B or C, and C+A -> C or A, with three persistence parameters (survival probabilities in reaction) of the hopping particle. We consider isotropic and anisotropic diffusion (hopping with a drift) in 1d. We find that the particle density decays as a power-law for certain choices of the persistence parameter values. In the anisotropic case, on one symmetric line in the parameter space, the decay exponent is monotonically varying between the values close to 1/3 and 1/2. On another, less symmetric line, the exponent is constant. For most parameter values, the density does not follow a power-law. We also calculated various characteristic exponents for the distance of nearest particles and domain structure. Our results support the recently proposed possibility that 1d diffusion-limited reactions with a drift do not fall within a limited number of distinct universality classes.Comment: 12 pages in plain LaTeX and four Postscript files with figure

The Reaction-Diffusion Front for A+B→∅A+B \to\emptyset in One Dimension

We study theoretically and numerically the steady state diffusion controlled reaction $A+B\rightarrow\emptyset$, where currents $J$ of $A$ and $B$ particles are applied at opposite boundaries. For a reaction rate $\lambda$, and equal diffusion constants $D$, we find that when $\lambda J^{-1/2} D^{-1/2}\ll 1$ the reaction front is well described by mean field theory. However, for $\lambda J^{-1/2} D^{-1/2}\gg 1$, the front acquires a Gaussian profile - a result of noise induced wandering of the reaction front center. We make a theoretical prediction for this profile which is in good agreement with simulation. Finally, we investigate the intrinsic (non-wandering) front width and find results consistent with scaling and field theoretic predictions.Comment: 11 pages, revtex, 4 separate PostScript figure

Does hardcore interaction change absorbing type critical phenomena?

It has been generally believed that hardcore interaction is irrelevant to absorbing type critical phenomena because the particle density is so low near an absorbing phase transition. We study the effect of hardcore interaction on the N species branching annihilating random walks with two offspring and report that hardcore interaction drastically changes the absorbing type critical phenomena in a nontrivial way. Through Langevin equation type approach, we predict analytically the values of the scaling exponents, $\nu_{\perp} = 2, z = 2, \alpha = 1/2, \beta = 2$ in one dimension for all N > 1. Direct numerical simulations confirm our prediction. When the diffusion coefficients for different species are not identical, $\nu_{\perp}$ and $\beta$ vary continuously with the ratios between the coefficients.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

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.Comment: 13 pages, plain TeX, 5 figures available upon request to SR (submitted to J. Stat. Phys.

Theory of Branching and Annihilating Random Walks

A systematic theory for the diffusion--limited reaction processes $A + A \to 0$ and $A \to (m+1) A$ is developed. Fluctuations are taken into account via the field--theoretic dynamical renormalization group. For $m$ even the mean field rate equation, which predicts only an active phase, remains qualitatively correct near $d_c = 2$ dimensions; but below $d_c' \approx 4/3$ a nontrivial transition to an inactive phase governed by power law behavior appears. For $m$ odd there is a dynamic phase transition for any $d \leq 2$ which is described by the directed percolation universality class.Comment: 4 pages, revtex, no figures; final version with slight changes, now accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Refined Simulations of the Reaction Front for Diffusion-Limited Two-Species Annihilation in One Dimension

Extensive simulations are performed of the diffusion-limited reaction A$+$B$\to 0$ in one dimension, with initially separated reagents. The reaction rate profile, and the probability distributions of the separation and midpoint of the nearest-neighbour pair of A and B particles, are all shown to exhibit dynamic scaling, independently of the presence of fluctuations in the initial state and of an exclusion principle in the model. The data is consistent with all lengthscales behaving as $t^{1/4}$ as $t\to\infty$. Evidence of multiscaling, found by other authors, is discussed in the light of these findings.Comment: Resubmitted as TeX rather than Postscript file. RevTeX version 3.0, 10 pages with 16 Encapsulated Postscript figures (need epsf). University of Geneva preprint UGVA/DPT 1994/10-85