Coarsening, condensates, and extremes in aggregation-fragmentation models

We use extreme value statistics to study the dynamics of coarsening in aggregation-fragmentation models which form condensates in the steady state. The dynamics is dominated by the formation of local condensates on a coarsening length scale which grows in time in both the zero range process and conserved mass aggregation model. The local condensate mass distribution exhibits scaling, which implies anomalously large fluctuations, with mean and standard deviation both proportional to the coarsening length. Remarkably, the state of the system during coarsening is governed not by the steady state, but rather a preasymptotic state in which the condensate mass fluctuates strongly.

Automated summary

In this study, extreme value statistics were used to investigate the dynamics of coarsening in aggregation-fragmentation models that form condensates in the steady state. The dynamics are mainly governed by the formation of local condensates on a coarsening length scale, which increases with time in both zero range process and conserved mass aggregation model. The distribution of local condensate mass exhibits scaling, indicating unusually large fluctuations with mean and standard deviation proportional to the coarsening length. Interestingly, the system's state during coarsening is determined not by the steady state, but by a preasymptotic state with strong fluctuations in condensate mass.