Mean field treatment of exclusion processes with random-force disorder

Abstract

The asymmetric simple exclusion process with random-force disorder is studied within the mean field approximation. The stationary current through a domain with reversed bias is analyzed and the results are found to be in accordance with earlier intuitive assumptions. On the grounds of these results, a phenomenological random barrier model is applied in order to describe quantitatively the coarsening phenomena. Predictions of the theory are compared with numerical results obtained by integrating the mean field evolution equations.