Exclusive Many-Particle Diffusion in Disordered Media and Correlation Functions for Random Vertex Models

Abstract

We consider systems of particles hopping stochastically on $d$-dimensional lattices with space-dependent probabilities. We map the master equation onto an evolution equation in a Fock space where the dynamics are given by a quantum Hamiltonian (continuous time) or a transfer matrix resp. (discrete time). We show that under certain conditions the time-dependent two-point density correlation function in the $N$-particle steady state can be computed from the probability distribution of a single particle moving in the same environment. Focussing on exclusion models where each lattice site can be occupied by at most one particle we discuss as an example for such a stochastic process a generalized Heisenberg antiferromagnet where the strength of the spin-spin coupling is space-dependent. In discrete time one obtains for one-dimensional systems the diagonal-to-diagonal transfer matrix of the two-dimensional six-vertex model with space-dependent vertex weights. For a random distribution of the vertex weights one obtains a version of the random barrier model describing diffusion of particles in disordered media. We derive exact expressions for the averaged two-point density correlation functions in the presence of weak, correlated disorder.