Role of initial conditions in one-dimensional diffusive systems: Compressibility, hyperuniformity, and long-term memory

Phys Rev E. 2022 Dec;106(6):L062101. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.106.L062101.

Abstract

We analyze the long-lasting effects of initial conditions on dynamical fluctuations in one-dimensional diffusive systems. We consider the mean-squared displacement of tracers in homogeneous systems with single-file diffusion, and current fluctuations for noninteracting diffusive particles. In each case we show analytically that the long-term memory of initial conditions is mediated by a single static quantity: a generalized compressibility that quantifies the density fluctuations of the initial state. We thereby identify a universality class of hyperuniform initial states whose dynamical variances coincide with the quenched cases studied previously, alongside a continuous family of other classes among which equilibrated (or annealed) initial conditions are but one member. We verify our predictions through extensive Monte Carlo simulations.

MeSH terms

  • Diffusion
  • Memory, Long-Term*
  • Monte Carlo Method