Depinning in a random medium

Effects of a local defect on one-dimensional nonlinear surface growth

The slow-bond problem is a long-standing question about the minimal strength ε_{c} of a local defect with global effects on the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) universality class. A consensus on the issue has been delayed due to the discrepancy between various analytical predictions claiming ε_{c}=0 and numerical observations claiming ε_{c}>0. We revisit the problem via finite-size scaling analyses of the slow-bond effects, which are tested for different boundary conditions through extensive Monte Carlo simulations. Our results provide evidence that the previously reported nonzero ε_{c} is an artifact of a crossover phenomenon which logarithmically converges to zero as the system size goes to infinity.

Effects of junctional correlations in the totally asymmetric simple exclusion process on random regular networks

We investigate the totally asymmetric simple exclusion process on closed and directed random regular networks, which is a simple model of active transport in the one-dimensional segments coupled by junctions. By a pair mean-field theory and detailed numerical analyses, it is found that the correlations at junctions induce two notable deviations from the simple mean-field theory, which neglects these correlations: (1) the narrower range of particle density for phase coexistence and (2) the algebraic decay of density profile with exponent 1/2 even outside the maximal-current phase. We show that these anomalies are attributable to the effective slow bonds formed by the network junctions.

Directed polymer in random media with a defect

We investigate a directed polymer in random media with an attractive defect at the center of the one-dimensional substrate. Without the defect, the end to end distance Deltax of the polymer follows Deltax approximately t;{1/z} , with z=3/2 and t is the polymer length. When the defect strength is weak, its contribution to Deltax is negligible. If > or =_{c} , then Deltax approaches a finite value Deltax_{sat}() in large t limit, and we find Deltax_{sat} approximately (-_{c});{-delta} , with delta approximately 3.0 . Such transition is related to the queuing phenomena of the asymmetric simple exclusion process. The polymer energy fluctuation is also discussed.

Queuing transitions in the asymmetric simple exclusion process

Stochastic driven flow along a channel can be modeled by the asymmetric simple exclusion process. We confirm numerically the presence of a dynamic queuing phase transition at a nonzero obstruction strength, and establish its scaling properties. Below the transition, the traffic jam is macroscopic in the sense that the length of the queue scales linearly with system size. Above the transition, only a power-law shaped queue remains. Its density profile scales as deltarho approximately x(-nu) with nu=1/3, and x is the distance from the obstacle. We construct a heuristic argument, indicating that the exponent nu=1/3 is universal and independent of the dynamic exponent of the underlying dynamic process. Fast bonds create only power-law shaped depletion queues, and with an exponent that could be equal to nu=2/3, but the numerical results yield consistently somewhat smaller values nu approximately 0.63(3). The implications of these results to faceting of growing interfaces and localization of directed polymers in random media, both in the presence of a columnar defect are pointed out as well.

Effect of a columnar defect on the shape of slow-combustion fronts

We report experimental results for the behavior of slow-combustion fronts in the presence of a columnar defect with enhanced or reduced driving, and compare them with those of mean-field theory. We also compare them with simulation results for an analogous problem of driven flow of particles with hard-core repulsion (ASEP) and a single defect bond with a different hopping probability. The difference in the shape of the front profiles for enhanced vs reduced driving in the defect clearly demonstrates the existence of a Kardar-Parisi-Zhang-type nonlinear term in the effective evolution equation for the slow-combustion fronts. We also find that slow-combustion fronts display a faceted form for large enough enhanced driving, and that there is a corresponding increase then in the average front speed. This increase in the average front speed disappears at a nonzero enhanced driving in agreement with the simulated behavior of the ASEP model.

Effect of noise on a quantum bound state

The evolution of a quantum wave function on a lattice with time-dependent random disorder is studied. It is found that the bound state wave function of a quantum system exhibits intrinsic instability with respect to noisy disorder in the statistical sense. Under the general scheme of time coarse graining, we show nonperturbatively that the stationary attractive potential is completely washed out at large time scales by the existence of the noisy disorder to any order of density correlations.

Scaling laws and similarity detection in sequence alignment with gaps

We study the problem of similarity detection by sequence alignment with gaps, using a recently established theoretical framework based on the morphology of alignment paths. Alignments of sequences without mutual correlations are found to have scale-invariant statistics. This is the basis for a scaling theory of alignments of correlated sequences. Using a simple Markov model of evolution, we generate sequences with well-defined mutual correlations and quantify the fidelity of an alignment in an unambiguous way. The scaling theory predicts the dependence of the fidelity on the alignment parameters and on the statistical evolution parameters characterizing the sequence correlations. Specific criteria for the optimal choice of alignment parameters emerge from this theory. The results are verified by extensive numerical simulations.