Finite-size scaling and universality for the totally asymmetric simple-exclusion process

Abstract

The applicability of the concepts of finite-size scaling and universality to nonequilibrium phase transitions is considered in the framework of the one-dimensional totally asymmetric simple-exclusion process with open boundaries. In the thermodynamic limit there are boundary-induced transitions both of the first and second order between steady-state phases of the model. We derive finite-size scaling expressions for the current near the continuous phase transition and for the local density near the first-order transition under different stochastic dynamics and compare them to establish the existence of universal functions. Next we study numerically the finite-size behavior of the Lee-Yang zeros of the normalization factor for the different steady-state probabilities.