Asymmetries in Structure Factor Histograms

Abstract

We investigate the dynamics of a three-state stochastic lattice gas, consisting of holes and two oppositely "charged" species of particles, under the influence of an "electric" field, at zero total charge. Interacting only through an excluded volume constraint, particles can hop to nearest neighbour empty sites. Using a combination of Langevin equations and Monte Carlo simulations, we study the probability distributions of the steady-state structure factors in the disordered phase where homogeneous configurations are stable against small harmonic perturbations. Simulation and theoretical results are in excellent agreement, both showing asymmetric exponential distributions.