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Published on: August 18, 2017
Effective potential and chiral symmetry breaking.
1Centro de Astrobiología, CSIC-INTA, Madrid, Spain. hochbergd@inta.es
Summary
External noise can disrupt chemical symmetry. In well-mixed systems, noise disorders reactions, but in 2D diffusion, it can trigger a phase transition, leading to racemization.
Area of Science:
- Chemical kinetics
- Statistical mechanics
- Physical chemistry
Background:
- Spontaneous mirror-symmetry breaking is a key phenomenon in chemical systems.
- The Frank model describes this symmetry breaking.
- Environmental fluctuations can significantly impact chemical reactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To calculate the nonequilibrium effective potential for the Frank model.
- To investigate the influence of external noise on symmetry breaking.
- To analyze the system's behavior under different diffusion conditions.
Main Methods:
- Calculation of the nonequilibrium effective potential.
- Analysis of the Frank model with introduced external noise.
- Study of the well-mixed limit (negligible diffusion).
- Detailed examination of diffusion in two space dimensions.
Main Results:
- In the well-mixed limit, external white noise has a disordering effect.
- In two-dimensional diffusion, a phase transition occurs when external noise intensity exceeds a critical value.
- This critical noise intensity leads to the racemization of the system.
Conclusions:
- External noise plays a crucial role in modulating symmetry breaking in chemical systems.
- The effect of noise is dependent on diffusion conditions, leading to distinct outcomes.
- Noise can induce a transition to a racemic state in spatially extended systems.
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