We consider the one-dimensional asymmetric zero-range process starting from a
step decreasing profile. In the hydrodynamic limit this initial condition leads
to the rarefaction fan of the associated hydrodynamic equation. Under this
initial condition and for totally asymmetric jumps, we show that the weighted
sum of joint probabilities for second class particles sharing the same site is
convergent and we compute its limit. For partially asymmetric jumps we derive
the Law of Large Numbers for the position of a second class particle under the
initial configuration in which all the positive sites are empty, all the
negative sites are occupied with infinitely many first class particles and with
a single second class particle at the origin. Moreover, we prove that among the
infinite characteristics emanating from the position of the second class
particle, this particle chooses randomly one of them. The randomness is given
in terms of the weak solution of the hydrodynamic equation through some sort of
renormalization function. By coupling the zero-range with the exclusion process
we derive some limiting laws for more general initial conditions.Comment: 22 pages, to appear in Journal of Statistical Physic
