Driven Diffusive Systems: An Introduction and Recent Developments

Abstract

Nonequilibrium steady states in driven diffusive systems exhibit many features which are surprising or counterintuitive, given our experience with equilibrium systems. We introduce the prototype model and review its unusual behavior in different temperature regimes, from both a simulational and analytic view point. We then present some recent work, focusing on the phase diagrams of driven bi-layer systems and two-species lattice gases. Several unresolved puzzles are posed.