Optimal Resetting Strategies for Search Processes in Heterogeneous Environments

In many physical situations, there appears the problem of reaching a single target that is spatially distributed. Here we analyse how stochastic resetting, also spatially distributed, can be used to improve the search process when the target location is quenched, i.e. it does not evolve in time. Mor...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: García Valladares, Gregorio, Plata Ramos, Carlos Alberto, Prados Montaño, Antonio, Manacorda, Alessandro
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repositorio:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/158767
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/158767
https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ad06da
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:First passage time
Heterogeneity
Non-equilibrium statistical mechanics
Optimal search strategies
Quenched disorder
Stochastic resetting
Descripción
Sumario:In many physical situations, there appears the problem of reaching a single target that is spatially distributed. Here we analyse how stochastic resetting, also spatially distributed, can be used to improve the search process when the target location is quenched, i.e. it does not evolve in time. More specifically, we consider a model with minimal but sufficient ingredients that allows us to derive analytical results for the relevant physical quantities, such as the first passage time distribution. We focus on the minimisation of the mean first passage time (MFPT) and its fluctuations (standard deviation), which proves to be non-trivial. Our analysis shows that the no-disorder case is singular: for small disorder, the resetting rate distribution that minimises the MFPT leads to diverging fluctuations—which impinge on the practicality of this minimisation. Interestingly, this issue is healed by minimising the fluctuations: the associated resetting rate distribution gives first passage times that are very close to the optimal ones.