Renyi entropy of the totally asymmetric exclusion process

TL;DR

This paper computes the Renyi entropy for the TASEP, revealing phase-dependent behaviors and conjecturing universal leading behavior, while contrasting nonequilibrium and equilibrium systems regarding secondary transitions.

Contribution

It provides an explicit calculation of the Renyi entropy for TASEP using matrix product formalism and kernel methods, extending understanding of entropy in nonequilibrium systems.

Findings

Leading behavior matches Bernoulli measure predictions

Logarithmic corrections in the maximal current phase

No secondary transitions observed in TASEP

Abstract

The Renyi entropy is a generalisation of the Shannon entropy that is sensitive to the fine details of a probability distribution. We present results for the Renyi entropy of the totally asymmetric exclusion process (TASEP). We calculate explicitly an entropy whereby the squares of configuration probabilities are summed, using the matrix product formalism to map the problem to one involving a six direction lattice walk in the upper quarter plane. We derive the generating function across the whole phase diagram, using an obstinate kernel method. This gives the leading behaviour of the Renyi entropy and corrections in all phases of the TASEP. The leading behaviour is given by the result for a Bernoulli measure and we conjecture that this holds for all Renyi entropies. Within the maximal current phase the correction to the leading behaviour is logarithmic in the system size. Finally, we remark upon a special property of equilibrium systems whereby discontinuities in the Renyi entropy arise away from phase transitions, which we refer to as secondary transitions. We find no such secondary transition for this nonequilibrium system, supporting the notion that these are specific to equilibrium cases.