Master equation

About: Master equation is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 10541 publications have been published within this topic receiving 276095 citations.

Non-Abelian symmetries of stochastic processes: Derivation of correlation functions for random-vertex models and disordered-interacting-particle systems

Abstract: We consider systems of particles hopping stochastically on d-dimensional lattices with space-dependent probabilities. We map the master equation onto an evolution equation in a Fock space where the dynamics are given by a quantum Hamiltonian (continuous time) or a transfer matrix (discrete time). Using non-Abelian symmetries of these operators we derive duality relations, expressing the time evolution of a given initial configuration in terms of correlation functions of simpler dual processes. Particularly simple results are obtained for the time evolution of the density profile. As a special case we show that for any SU(2) symmetric system the two-point and three-point density correlation functions in the N-particle steady state can be computed from the probability distribution of a single particle moving in the same environment. We apply our results to various models, among them partial exclusion, a simple diffusion-reaction system, and the two-dimensional six-vertex model with space-dependent vertex weights. For a random distribution of the vertex weights one obtains a version of the random-barrier model describing diffusion of particles in disordered media. We derive exact expressions for the averaged two-point density correlation functions in the presence of weak, correlated disorder.

Master Equation for Hydrogen Recombination on Grain Surfaces

Abstract: Recent experimental results on the formation of molecular hydrogen on astrophysically relevant surfaces under conditions similar to those encountered in the interstellar medium provided useful quantitative information about these processes. Rate equation analysis of experiments on olivine and amorphous carbon surfaces provided the activation energy barriers for the diffusion and desorption processes relevant to hydrogen recombination on these surfaces. However, the suitability of rate equations for the simulation of hydrogen recombination on interstellar grains, where there might be very few atoms on a grain at any given time, has been questioned. To resolve this problem, we introduce a master equation that takes into account both the discrete nature of the H atoms and the fluctuations in the number of atoms on a grain. The hydrogen recombination rate on microscopic grains, as a function of grain size and temperature, is then calculated using the master equation. The results are compared to those obtained from the rate equations and the conditions under which the master equation is required are identified.

p-adic description of characteristic relaxation in complex systems

Abstract: This work is a further development of an approach to the description of relaxation processes in complex systems on the basis of the p-adic analysis. We show that three types of relaxation fitted into the Kohlrausch–Williams–Watts law, the power decay law and the logarithmic decay law, are similar random processes. Inherently, these processes are ultrametric and are described by the p-adic master equation. The physical meaning of this equation is explained in terms of a random walk constrained by a hierarchical energy landscape. We also discuss relations between the relaxation kinetics and the energy landscapes.

The master differential equations for the 2-loop sunrise self-mass amplitudes

Abstract: The master differential equations in the external square momentum p^2 for the master integrals of the two-loop sunrise graph, in n-continuous dimensions and for arbitrary values of the internal masses, are derived. The equations are then used for working out the values at p^2 = 0 and the expansions in p^2 at p^2 =0, in (n-4) at n to 4 limit and in 1/p^2 for large values of p^2 .

An effective rate equation approach to reaction kinetics in small volumes: Theory and application to biochemical reactions in nonequilibrium steady-state conditions

Abstract: Chemical master equations provide a mathematical description of stochastic reaction kinetics in well-mixed conditions. They are a valid description over length scales that are larger than the reactive mean free path and thus describe kinetics in compartments of mesoscopic and macroscopic dimensions. The trajectories of the stochastic chemical processes described by the master equation can be ensemble-averaged to obtain the average number density of chemical species, i.e., the true concentration, at any spatial scale of interest. For macroscopic volumes, the true concentration is very well approximated by the solution of the corresponding deterministic and macroscopic rate equations, i.e., the macroscopic concentration. However, this equivalence breaks down for mesoscopic volumes. These deviations are particularly significant for open systems and cannot be calculated via the Fokker-Planck or linear-noise approximations of the master equation. We utilize the system-size expansion including terms of the order of Omega(-1/2) to derive a set of differential equations whose solution approximates the true concentration as given by the master equation. These equations are valid in any open or closed chemical reaction network and at both the mesoscopic and macroscopic scales. In the limit of large volumes, the effective mesoscopic rate equations become precisely equal to the conventional macroscopic rate equations. We compare the three formalisms of effective mesoscopic rate equations, conventional rate equations, and chemical master equations by applying them to several biochemical reaction systems (homodimeric and heterodimeric protein-protein interactions, series of sequential enzyme reactions, and positive feedback loops) in nonequilibrium steady-state conditions. In all cases, we find that the effective mesoscopic rate equations can predict very well the true concentration of a chemical species. This provides a useful method by which one can quickly determine the regions of parameter space in which there are maximum differences between the solutions of the master equation and the corresponding rate equations. We show that these differences depend sensitively on the Fano factors and on the inherent structure and topology of the chemical network. The theory of effective mesoscopic rate equations generalizes the conventional rate equations of physical chemistry to describe kinetics in systems of mesoscopic size such as biological cells.