Exclusion processes with internal states

Phys Rev Lett. 2006 Aug 4;97(5):050603. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.050603. Epub 2006 Aug 2.

Abstract

We introduce driven exclusion processes with internal states that serve as generic transport models in various contexts, ranging from molecular or vehicular traffic on parallel lanes to spintronics. The ensuing nonequilibrium steady states are controllable by boundary as well as bulk rates. A striking polarization phenomenon accompanied by domain wall motion and delocalization is discovered within a mesoscopic scaling. We quantify this observation within an analytic description providing exact phase diagrams. Our results are confirmed by stochastic simulations.