Interaction vs inhomogeneity in a periodic TASEP

Abstract

We study the non-equilibrium steady states in a totally asymmetric simple exclusion process with periodic boundary conditions, also incorporating (i) an extra (nearest-neighbour) repulsive interaction and (ii) hopping rates characterized by a smooth spatial inhomogeneity. We make use of a generalized mean-field approach (at the level of nearest-neighbour pair clusters), in combination with kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. It turns out that the so-called shock phase can exhibit a lot of qualitatively different subphases, including multiple-shock phases, and a minimal-current shock phase. We argue that the resulting, considerably rich phase diagram should be relatively insensitive to minor details of either interaction or spatial inhomogeneity. As a consequence, we also expect that our results help elucidate the nature of shock subphases detected in previous studies.