Phase coexistences and particle non-conservation in a closed asymmetric exclusion process with inhomogeneities

TL;DR

This paper studies a one-dimensional asymmetric exclusion process with inhomogeneous segments and particle non-conservation, revealing phase coexistence and a nonequilibrium phase transition influenced by inhomogeneity and Langmuir kinetics.

Contribution

It introduces a novel inhomogeneous TASEP model with Langmuir kinetics on a ring, analyzing phase coexistence and phase transitions in steady state.

Findings

Model exhibits phase coexistence in steady state.

A nonequilibrium phase transition occurs between three-phase and two-phase coexistence.

The system remains half-filled on average regardless of parameters.

Abstract

We construct a one-dimensional totally asymmetric simple exclusion process (TASEP) on a ring with two segments having unequal hopping rates, coupled to particle non-conserving Langmuir kinetics (LK) characterized by equal attachment and detachment rates. In the steady state, in the limit of competing LK and TASEP, the model is always found in states of phase coexistence. We uncover a nonequilibrium phase transition between a three-phase and a two-phase coexistence in the faster segment, controlled by the underlying inhomogeneity configurations and LK. The model is always found to be half-filled on average in the steady state, regardless of the hopping rates and the attachment/detachment rate.