Rosemary Harris: The zero-range process: insights and applications
Abstract:
The Zero-Range Process (ZRP) is a stochastic interacting particle system which plays a paradigmatic role in non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. I will review some aspects of this model with particular emphasis on two projects I have recently been involved in. Firstly, I will discuss the calculation of particle current fluctuations which leads to insight into the breakdown of Gallavotti-Cohen symmetry in systems with unbounded state space. Secondly, I will highlight the existence of a metastable state in the ZRP and illustrate a connection to modelling of vehicular traffic.