Double transition in kinetic exchange opinion models with activation dynamics

Area of Science:

• Sociophysics
• Statistical Mechanics
• Opinion Dynamics

Background:

• Traditional opinion dynamics models often assume static agents.
• Real-world social interactions involve individuals becoming inactive or disengaging.
• Understanding agent mobility is crucial for realistic social simulations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate opinion dynamics in a model with agent activation and deactivation.
• To analyze the impact of agent mobility on social interaction patterns.
• To identify and characterize distinct phases and phase transitions in this dynamic system.

Main Methods:

• Development of a kinetic exchange model incorporating agent deactivation probability.
• Analytical and numerical simulations to study system behavior.
• Identification of non-equilibrium phase transitions.

Main Results:

• The model exhibits two distinct non-equilibrium phase transitions, leading to three phases: ordered, disordered, and absorbing.
• The absorbing phase represents a collective state of agent inactivity, a 'frozen' state.
• A critical deactivation probability was identified, determining the system's entry into the absorbing phase.

Conclusions:

• Agent activation/deactivation significantly alters opinion dynamics, introducing novel absorbing phases.
• The system demonstrates complex phase transition behaviors dependent on interaction and deactivation parameters.
• This model provides insights into collective behavior and opinion formation in dynamic social systems.