Mixing times for the TASEP in the maximal current phase

Abstract

We study mixing times for the totally asymmetric simple exclusion process (TASEP) on a segment of size $N$ with open boundaries. We focus on the maximal current phase, and prove that the mixing time is of order $N^{3/2}$, up to logarithmic corrections. In the triple point, where the TASEP with open boundaries approaches the Uniform distribution on the state space, we show that the mixing time is precisely of order $N^{3/2}$. This is conjectured to be the correct order of the mixing time for a wide range of particle systems with maximal current. Our arguments rely on a connection to last-passage percolation, and recent results on moderate deviations of last-passage times.