Boundary-induced phase transitions are one of the surprising phenomena
appearing in nonequilibrium systems. These transitions have been found in
driven systems, especially the asymmetric simple exclusion process. However, so
far no direct observations of this phenomenon in real systems exists. Here we
present evidence for the appearance of such a nonequilibrium phase transition
in traffic flow occurring on highways in the vicinity of on- and off-ramps.
Measurements on a German motorway close to Cologne show a first-order
nonequilibrium phase transition between a free-flow phase and a congested
phase. It is induced by the interplay of density waves (caused by an on-ramp)
and a shock wave moving on the motorway. The full phase diagram, including the
effect of off-ramps, is explored using computer simulations and suggests means
to optimize the capacity of a traffic network.Comment: 5 figures, revte