The contact process in heterogeneous and weakly-disordered systems

The critical behavior of the contact process (CP) in heterogeneous periodic and weakly-disordered environments is investigated using the supercritical series expansion and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Phase-separation lines and critical exponents $\beta$ (from series expansion) and $\eta$ (from MC simulations) are calculated. A general analytical expression for the locus of critical points is suggested for the weak-disorder limit and confirmed by the series expansion analysis and the MC simulations. Our results for the critical exponents show that the CP in heterogeneous environments remains in the directed percolation (DP) universality class, while for environments with quenched disorder, the data are compatible with the scenario of continuously changing critical exponents.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Consensus Formation in Multi-state Majority and Plurality Models

We study consensus formation in interacting systems that evolve by multi-state majority rule and by plurality rule. In an update event, a group of G agents (with G odd), each endowed with an s-state spin variable, is specified. For majority rule, all group members adopt the local majority state; for plurality rule the group adopts the local plurality state. This update is repeated until a final consensus state is generally reached. In the mean field limit, the consensus time for an N-spin system increases as ln N for both majority and plurality rule, with an amplitude that depends on s and G. For finite spatial dimensions, domains undergo diffusive coarsening in majority rule when s or G is small. For larger s and G, opinions spread ballistically from the few groups with an initial local majority. For plurality rule, there is always diffusive domain coarsening toward consensus.Comment: 8 pages, 11 figures, 2-column revtex4 format. Updated version: small changes in response to referee comments. For publication in J Phys

Two species coagulation approach to consensus by group level interactions

We explore the self-organization dynamics of a set of entities by considering the interactions that affect the different subgroups conforming the whole. To this end, we employ the widespread example of coagulation kinetics, and characterize which interaction types lead to consensus formation and which do not, as well as the corresponding different macroscopic patterns. The crucial technical point is extending the usual one species coagulation dynamics to the two species one. This is achieved by means of introducing explicitly solvable kernels which have a clear physical meaning. The corresponding solutions are calculated in the long time limit, in which consensus may or may not be reached. The lack of consensus is characterized by means of scaling limits of the solutions. The possible applications of our results to some topics in which consensus reaching is fundamental, like collective animal motion and opinion spreading dynamics, are also outlined

Statistics of opinion domains of the majority-vote model on a square lattice

The existence of juxtaposed regions of distinct cultures in spite of the fact that people's beliefs have a tendency to become more similar to each other's as the individuals interact repeatedly is a puzzling phenomenon in the social sciences. Here we study an extreme version of the frequency-dependent bias model of social influence in which an individual adopts the opinion shared by the majority of the members of its extended neighborhood, which includes the individual itself. This is a variant of the majority-vote model in which the individual retains its opinion in case there is a tie among the neighbors' opinions. We assume that the individuals are fixed in the sites of a square lattice of linear size $L$ and that they interact with their nearest neighbors only. Within a mean-field framework, we derive the equations of motion for the density of individuals adopting a particular opinion in the single-site and pair approximations. Although the single-site approximation predicts a single opinion domain that takes over the entire lattice, the pair approximation yields a qualitatively correct picture with the coexistence of different opinion domains and a strong dependence on the initial conditions. Extensive Monte Carlo simulations indicate the existence of a rich distribution of opinion domains or clusters, the number of which grows with $L^2$ whereas the size of the largest cluster grows with $\ln L^2$. The analysis of the sizes of the opinion domains shows that they obey a power-law distribution for not too large sizes but that they are exponentially distributed in the limit of very large clusters. In addition, similarly to other well-known social influence model -- Axelrod's model -- we found that these opinion domains are unstable to the effect of a thermal-like noise

Spatial correlations of the 1D KPZ surface on a flat substrate

We study the spatial correlations of the one-dimensional KPZ surface for the flat initial condition. It is shown that the multi-point joint distribution for the height is given by a Fredholm determinant, with its kernel in the scaling limit explicitly obtained. This may also describe the dynamics of the largest eigenvalue in the GOE Dyson's Brownian motion model. Our analysis is based on a reformulation of the determinantal Green's function for the totally ASEP in terms of a vicious walk problem.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figure

Exact probability function for bulk density and current in the asymmetric exclusion process

We examine the asymmetric simple exclusion process with open boundaries, a paradigm of driven diffusive systems, having a nonequilibrium steady state transition. We provide a full derivation and expanded discussion and digression on results previously reported briefly in M. Depken and R. Stinchcombe, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 93}, 040602, (2004). In particular we derive an exact form for the joint probability function for the bulk density and current, both for finite systems, and also in the thermodynamic limit. The resulting distribution is non-Gaussian, and while the fluctuations in the current are continuous at the continuous phase transitions, the density fluctuations are discontinuous. The derivations are done by using the standard operator algebraic techniques, and by introducing a modified version of the original operator algebra. As a byproduct of these considerations we also arrive at a novel and very simple way of calculating the normalization constant appearing in the standard treatment with the operator algebra. Like the partition function in equilibrium systems, this normalization constant is shown to completely characterize the fluctuations, albeit in a very different manner.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Majority Rule Dynamics in Finite Dimensions

We investigate the long-time behavior of a majority rule opinion dynamics model in finite spatial dimensions. Each site of the system is endowed with a two-state spin variable that evolves by majority rule. In a single update event, a group of spins with a fixed (odd) size is specified and all members of the group adopt the local majority state. Repeated application of this update step leads to a coarsening mosaic of spin domains and ultimate consensus in a finite system. The approach to consensus is governed by two disparate time scales, with the longer time scale arising from realizations in which spins organize into coherent single-opinion bands. The consequences of this geometrical organization on the long-time kinetics are explored.Comment: 8 pages, 2-column revtex format, 11 figures. Version 2: minor changes in response to referee comments and typos corrected; final version for PR

Conventions spreading in open-ended systems

We introduce a simple open-ended model that describes the emergence of a shared vocabulary. The ordering transition toward consensus is generated only by an agreement mechanism. This interaction defines a finite and small number of states, despite each individual having the ability to invent an unlimited number of new words. The existence of a phase transition is studied by analyzing the convergence times, the cognitive efforts of the agents and the scaling behavior in memory and timeComment: 11 pages, 5 figure

Symmetric Exclusion Process with a Localized Source

We investigate the growth of the total number of particles in a symmetric exclusion process driven by a localized source. The average total number of particles entering an initially empty system grows with time as t^{1/2} in one dimension, t/log(t) in two dimensions, and linearly in higher dimensions. In one and two dimensions, the leading asymptotic behaviors for the average total number of particles are independent on the intensity of the source. We also discuss fluctuations of the total number of particles and determine the asymptotic growth of the variance in one dimension.Comment: 7 pages; small corrections, references added, final versio

Behavior of susceptible-infected-susceptible epidemics on heterogeneous networks with saturation

We investigate saturation effects in susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) models of the spread of epidemics in heterogeneous populations. The structure of interactions in the population is represented by networks with connectivity distribution $P(k)$,including scale-free(SF) networks with power law distributions $P(k)\sim k^{-\gamma}$. Considering cases where the transmission of infection between nodes depends on their connectivity, we introduce a saturation function $C(k)$ which reduces the infection transmission rate $\lambda$ across an edge going from a node with high connectivity $k$. A mean field approximation with the neglect of degree-degree correlation then leads to a finite threshold $\lambda_{c}>0$ for SF networks with $2<\gamma \leq 3$. We also find, in this approximation, the fraction of infected individuals among those with degree $k$ for $\lambda$ close to $\lambda_{c}$. We investigate via computer simulation the contact process on a heterogeneous regular lattice and compare the results with those obtained from mean field theory with and without neglect of degree-degree correlations.Comment: 6 figure