Density profiles, dynamics, and condensation in the ZRP conditioned on an atypical current

Abstract

We study the asymmetric zero-range process (ZRP) with L sites and open boundaries, conditioned to carry an atypical current. Using a generalized Doob h-transform we compute explicitly the transition rates of an effective process for which the conditioned dynamics are typical. This effective process is a zero-range process with renormalized hopping rates, which are space dependent even when the original rates are constant. This leads to non-trivial density profiles in the steady state of the conditioned dynamics, and, under generic conditions on the jump rates of the unconditioned ZRP, to an intriguing supercritical bulk region where condensates can grow. These results provide a microscopic perspective on macroscopic fluctuation theory (MFT) for the weakly asymmetric case: it turns out that the predictions of MFT remain valid in the non-rigorous limit of finite asymmetry. In addition, the microscopic results yield the correct scaling factor for the asymmetry that MFT cannot predict.