Giant Nonequilibrium Fluctuations at a Reactive Surface

Abstract

We investigate whether giant fluctuations in a gas can induce corresponding fluctuations on a reactive surface in contact with the gas. Numerical simulations of a minimal heterogeneous catalytic reactor demonstrate that such fluctuations indeed emerge on the surface, with spatial correlations extending over micrometer scales. These fluctuations originate from the dependence of the adsorption rate on the reactant partial pressure. As a result, the surface-coverage structure factor mirrors that of the partial pressure, exhibiting similar enhancement and roll-off behavior across wave numbers.