Bulk and surface transitions in asymmetric simple exclusion process: Impact on boundary layers

TL;DR

This paper investigates boundary and surface phase transitions in an asymmetric simple exclusion process, revealing how boundary layers reflect bulk transitions and identifying surface transitions that enhance understanding of non-equilibrium critical points.

Contribution

It introduces boundary layer analysis to connect boundary phenomena with bulk phase transitions and uncovers surface transitions in the system.

Findings

Boundary layers encode bulk phase transition signatures.

Surface transitions occur in low- and high-density phases.

Identification of a non-equilibrium critical point.

Abstract

In this paper, we study boundary-induced phase transitions in a particle non-conserving asymmetric simple exclusion process with open boundaries. Using boundary layer analysis, we show that the key signatures of various bulk phase transitions are present in the boundary layers of the density profiles. In addition, we also find possibilities of surface transitions in the low- and high- density phases. The surface transition in the low-density phase provides a more complete description of the non-equilibrium critical point found in this system.