Transitions and transport for a spatially periodic stochastic system with locally coupled oscillators

Abstract

In this paper, with a special model, we investigate the spatially periodic stochastic system with locally coupled oscillators subject to a constant force F. A nonequilibrium second-order phase transition is found when F=0. This phase transition is reentrant when the additive noise is weak. With varying the constant force F, a continuous or discontinuous transition between the states with positive and negative mean fields (mu>0 and mu<0) is observed, which is not a phase transition. The mean field or current sometimes exhibits hysteresis as a function of F. With the variation of the force F, when hysteresis of the mean field or current versus F appears, a nonzero probability current with definite direction will occur at the point F=0. The correlation between the additive and multiplicative noises has an effect on the transitions and the transport.