1205.6486 (A. S. de Wijn et al.)

Dynamic phase transition in a kinetically constrained model for traffic    [PDF]

A. S. de Wijn, D. M. Miedema, B. Nienhuis, P. Schall

We address the emergence of traffic jams using dynamic correlation functions in analogy to kinetically constrained models for glasses. In kinetically constrained models, the formation of glass becomes a true (singular) phase transition in the limit T->0. Similarly, using the Nagel-Schreckenberg model to simulate traffic flow, we find that the emergence of jammed traffic acquires the signature of a sharp transition in the deterministic limit p->1, corresponding to overcautious driving. We identify for the first time a true dynamical critical point marking the onset of coexistence between free flowing and jammed traffic. We find diverging correlations analogous to those at a critical point of thermodynamic phase transitions.

View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1205.6486