On the validity of the Fokker-Planck equation for the Heisenberg magnet

We assume an explicit stochastic dynamics for the microscopic variables in the Heisenberg magnet based on experimental data. We obtain additional terms to the Fokker-Planck Equation and also explicit expressions for the numerical coefficients in the Master Equation, near T_c.     

Interference of coherent and incoherent interactions in the Master Equation for open systems

The limits of validity of a well known type of Master Equation for open systems are discussed. Using Zwanzig's projector formalism we derive a “Generalized Master Equation” which describes interference processes between coherent and incoherent interactions. The conditions under which this equation reduces to the known ones is given and discussed for laser systems.     

A comment on the paper “Stochastic feedback, nonlinear families of Markov processes, and nonlinear Fokker-Planck equations” by T.D. Frank

The purpose of this comment is to correct mistaken assumptions and claims made in the paper “Stochastic feedback, nonlinear families of Markov processes, and nonlinear Fokker-Planck equations” by T. D. Frank [T.D. Frank, Stochastic feedback, non-linear families of Markov processes, and nonlinear Fokker-Planck equations, Physica A 331 (2004) 391]. Our comment centers on the claims of a “non-linear Markov process” and a “non-linear Fokker-Planck equation.” First, memory in transition densities is misidentified as a Markov process. Second, the paper assumes that one can derive a Fokker-Planck equation from a Chapman-Kolmogorov equation, but no proof was offered that a Chapman-Kolmogorov equation exists for the memory-dependent processes considered. A “non-linear Markov process” is claimed on the basis of a non-linear diffusion pde for a 1-point probability density. We show that, regardless of which initial value problem one may solve for the 1-point density, the resulting stochastic process, defined necessarily by the conditional probabilities (the transition probabilities), is either an ordinary linearly generated Markovian one, or else is a linearly generated non-Markovian process with memory. We provide explicit examples of diffusion coefficients that reflect both the Markovian and the memory-dependent cases. So there is neither a “non-linear Markov process”, nor a “non-linear Fokker-Planck equation” for a conditional probability density. The confusion rampant in the literature arises in part from labeling a non-linear diffusion equation for a 1-point probability density as “non-linear Fokker-Planck,” whereas neither a 1-point density nor an equation of motion for a 1-point density can define a stochastic process. In a closely related context, we point out that Borland misidentified a translation invariant 1-point probability density derived from a non-linear diffusion equation as a conditional probability density. Finally, in the Appendix A we present the theory of Fokker-Planck pdes and Chapman-Kolmogorov equations for stochastic processes with finite memory.     

On the validity of the Onsager-Machlup postulate for nonlinear stochastic processes

It is shown that: (i) the Onsager-Machlup postulate applies to nonlinear stochastic processes over a time scale that, while being much longer than the correlation times of the random forces, is still much shorter than the time it takes for the nonlinear distortion to become visible; (ii) these are also the conditions for the validity of the generalized Fokker-Planck equation; and (iii) when the fine details of the space-time structure of the stochastic processes are unimportant, the generalized Fokker-Planck equation can be replaced by the ordinary Fokker-Planck equation.     

A comparative study of the P and Q representations of a feedback controlled two-qubit system

In this Letter the Master equation of a two qubit system is transformed into Fokker-Planck equations in order to find the Glauber-Sudarshan P function representation. For the two qubit system examined in this Letter, the P representation is ill defined, which indicates the system is non-classical. A qualitative measure of the non-classical nature of the system is found by taking the semi-classical limit of the Fokker-Planck equation and obtaining a simplified Glauber-Sudarshan P representation. The agreement between the simplified P representation and the Q representation as well as the system stability are discussed when feedback is present and absent.     

Solution of Fokker-Planck equation using Trotter's formula

Solution of Fokker-Planck equation using Trotter's formula is discussed. The method is illustrated on the linear Fokker-Planck equation and the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck solution is obtained. For the case of a general nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation the method yields an integral representation amenable to approximations. In the lowest order approximation Suzuki's scaling result emerges. Physical interpretation and limitations of the approximations are also discussed.     

Statistical mechanics of nonlinear hydrodynamic fluctuations

The paper studies nonlinear hydrodynamic fluctuations by the methods of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics. The generalized Fokker-Planck equation for the distribution function of coarse-grained densities of conserved quantities is derived from the Liouville equation and then is investigated by using the gradient expansions in the flux correlation matrix. We have obtained the functional-differential Fokker-Planck equation describing the nonlinear hydrodynamic fluctuations in spatially nonuniform systems to second order in gradients of coarse-grained fluctuating fields. An outline of the derivation of Fokker-Planck equations containing the Burnett terms is also given. The explicit coordinate representation for the hydrodynamic Fokker-Planck equation is discussed in the case of one-component simple fluid. The general scheme of a change of coarse-grained functional variables is developed for hydrodynamic Fokker-Planck equations. The corresponding transformation rules are found for “drift” terms, “diffusion coefficients” and thermodynamic forces. The dynamical equations and stationary conditions for averages of functions (functionals) of hydrodynamic fields are discussed by using the Fokker-Planck operators acting on such functions. The explicit form of these operators are found for various sets of fluctuating fields. As an application of the formalism the calculation of the stationary correlation functions is presented for a simple nonequilibrium steady state.     

Kink dynamics in the medium with a random force and dissipation in the sine-Gordon model

Within the formalism of the Fokker-Planck equation, the influence of nonstationary external force, random force, and dissipation effects on the kink dynamics is investigated in the sine-Gordon model. The equation of evolution of the kink momentum is obtained in the form of the stochastic differential equation in the Stratonovich sense within the framework of the well-known McLaughlin and Scott energy approach. The corresponding Fokker-Planck equation for the momentum distribution function coincides with the equation describing the Ornstein-Uhlenbek process with a regular nonstationary external force. The influence of the nonlinear stochastic effects on the kink dynamics is considered with the help of the Fokker-Planck nonlinear equation with the shift coefficient dependent on the first moment of the kink momentum distribution function. Expressions are derived for average value and variance of the momentum. Examples are considered which demonstrate the influence of the external regular and random forces on the evolution of the average value and variance of the kink momentum. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 2, pp. 44–51, February, 2008.     

Nonlinear mean field Fokker-Planck equations. Application to the chemotaxis of biological populations

We study a general class of nonlinear mean field Fokker-Planck equations in relation with an effective generalized thermodynamical (E.G.T.) formalism. We show that these equations describe several physical systems such as: chemotaxis of bacterial populations, Bose-Einstein condensation in the canonical ensemble, porous media, generalized Cahn-Hilliard equations, Kuramoto model, BMF model, Burgers equation, Smoluchowski-Poisson system for self-gravitating Brownian particles, Debye-Hückel theory of electrolytes, two-dimensional turbulence... In particular, we show that nonlinear mean field Fokker-Planck equations can provide generalized Keller-Segel models for the chemotaxis of biological populations. As an example, we introduce a new model of chemotaxis incorporating both effects of anomalous diffusion and exclusion principle (volume filling). Therefore, the notion of generalized thermodynamics can have applications for concrete physical systems. We also consider nonlinear mean field Fokker-Planck equations in phase space and show the passage from the generalized Kramers equation to the generalized Smoluchowski equation in a strong friction limit. Our formalism is simple and illustrated by several explicit examples corresponding to Boltzmann, Tsallis, Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein entropies among others.     

The Fokker-Planck equation for arbitrary nonlinear noise

We present the Fokker-Planck equation for arbitrary nonlinear noise terms. The white noise limit is taken as the zero correlation time limit of the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. The drift and diffusion coefficients of the Fokker-Planck equation are given by triple integrals of the fluctuations. We apply the Fokker-Planck equation to the active rotator model with a fluctuating potential barrier which depends nonlinearly on an additive noise. We show that the nonlinearity may be transformed into the correlation of linear noise terms.     

Microscopic theory of brownian motion: III. The nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation

The nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation for the momentum distribution of a brownian particle of mass M in a bath of particles of mass m is derived. The contribution to this equation arising from initial deviation from bath equilibrium is analysed. This contribution is free of slow M-dependent decays and with certain restrictions leads to an effective shift in the initial value of the B particle momentum. The nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation for an initial bath equilibrium state is analyzed in terms of its predictions for momentum relaxation and mode coupling effects. It is found that in addition to nonlinear renormalization of the type previously found for the momentum correlation function, mode coupling leads to long-lived memory of the initial momentum state.     

Fokker-Planck description of multi-degree-of-freedom systems with correlated fluctuations

A Fokker-Planck equation is derived for a many-degree-of-freedom nonlinear Langevin equation driven by parametric gaussian fluctuations with finite correlation times. An oscillator with a fluctuating frequency is presented as an example.     

Singular Boundaries in the Forward Chapman-Kolmogorov Differential Equation

The forward Chapman-Kolmogorov differential equation is used to model the time evolution of the Probability Density Function of fluctuations. This equation may be restricted to either Master, Fokker-Planck or Liouville equations. A derivation of the Liouville equation with possible singular boundary conditions has already been presented in a previous publication (Valiño and Hierro in Phys. Rev. E 67:046310, 2003). In this paper, that derivation is extended to the full Chapman-Kolmogorov differential equation.     

Fick's law and Fokker-Planck equation in inhomogeneous environments

In inhomogeneous environments, the correct expression of the diffusive flux is not always given by the Fick's law Γ=−D∇n. The most general hydrodynamic equation modelling diffusion is indeed the Fokker-Planck equation (FPE). The microscopic dynamics of each specific system may affect the form of the FPE, either establishing connections between the diffusion and the convection term, as well as providing supplementary terms. In particular, the Fick's form for the diffusion equation may arise only in consequence of a specific kind of microscopic dynamics. It is also shown how, in the presence of sharp inhomogeneities, even the hydrodynamic FPE limit may becomes inaccurate and mask some features of the true solution, as computed from the Master equation.     

Inertial Manifolds for a Smoluchowski Equation on the Unit Sphere

The existence of inertial manifolds for a Smoluchowski equation—a nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation on the unit sphere which arises in modeling of colloidal suspensions—is investigated. A nonlinear and nonlocal transformation is used to eliminate the gradient from the nonlinear term.     

Stable nonequilibrium probability densities and phase transitions for meanfield models in the thermodynamic limit

A nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation is derived to describe the cooperative behavior of general stochastic systems interacting via mean-field couplings, in the limit of an infinite number of such systems. Disordered systems are also considered. In the weak-noise limit; a general result yields the possibility of having bifurcations from stationary solutions of the nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation into stable time-dependent solutions. The latter are interpreted as non-equilibrium probability distributions (states), and the bifurcations to them as nonequilibrium phase transitions. In the thermodynamic limit, results for three models are given for illustrative purposes. A model of self-synchronization of nonlinear oscillators presents a Hopf bifurcation to a time-periodic probability density, which can be analyzed for any value of the noise. The effects of disorder are illustrated by a simplified version of the Sompolinsky-Zippelius model of spin-glasses. Finally, results for the Fukuyama-Lee-Fisher model of charge-density waves are given. A singular perturbation analysis shows that the depinning transition is a bifurcation problem modified by the disorder noise due to impurities. Far from the bifurcation point, the CDW is either pinned or free, obeying (to leading order) the Grüner-Zawadowki-Chaikin equation. Near the bifurcation, the disorder noise drastically modifies the pattern, giving a quenched average of the CDW current which is constant. Critical exponents are found to depend on the noise, and they are larger than Fisher's values for the two probability distributions considered.     

Die Nicht-Markoffsche Mastergleichung als stochastische Identität

A derivation is given of the Generalized Master Equation which rests entirely on probabilistic reasoning. The probabilistic approach reveals the simplicity and general validity of this Non-Markovian equation which is in fact an identity for the probability vector of any stochastic process with stationary transition mechanism.     

On the Feynman proof of the exact relation between a class of path sums and the general nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation

A simple sum over paths will be considered for the general nonlinear diffusion process described by complex coordinates. In order to derive the corresponding stochastic differential equation the Feynman method used in quantum mechanics will be generalised for the present case of a coordinate dependent variance or diffusion function by means of a nonlinear coordinate transformation. The resulting equation will be seen to be the general nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation. The relevance of the present formulation for nonequilibrium phenomena, such as for example those occuring in nonlinear quantum optics, will be discussed.     

Augmented Langevin approach to fluctuations in nonlinear irreversible processes

A Fokker-Planck equation derived from statistical mechanics by M. S. Green [J. Chem. Phys. 20:1281 (1952)] has been used by Grabertet al. [Phys. Rev. A 21:2136 (1980)] to study fluctuations in nonlinear irreversible processes. These authors remarked that a phenomenological Langevin approach would not have given the correct reversible part of the Fokker-Planck drift flux, from which they concluded that the Langevin approach is untrustworthy for systems with partly reversible fluxes. Here it is shown that a simple modification of the Langevin approach leads to precisely the same covariant Fokker-Planck equation as that of Grabertet al., including the reversible drift terms. The modification consists of augmenting the usual nonlinear Langevin equation by adding to the deterministic flow a correction term which vanishes in the limit of zero fluctuations, and which is self-consistently determined from the assumed form of the equilibrium distribution by imposing the usual potential conditions. This development provides a simple phenomenological route to the Fokker-Planck equation of Green, which has previously appeared to require a more microscopic treatment. It also extends the applicability of the Langevin approach to fluctuations in a wider class of nonlinear systems.