Agmon–Hopfield kinetics in the slow diffusion regime

Abstract

“Agmon–Hopfield kinetics” refers to a first-order process whose rate depends on a control variable that changes with time by diffusion. We analyze the transition from short-time behavior, accurately described by the static approximation D=0, to long-time behavior, determined by competition between diffusion and the slow tail of the rate function. The analysis is asymptotic in D, increasing in accuracy as D→0.