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Article
Transitional probabilities for the four-state random walk on a lattice in the presence of partially reflecting boundaries
Journal of Mathematical Physics (2009)
  • Ramakrishna Janaswamy, University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Abstract

The four-state random walk (4RW) model, wherein the particle is endowed with two states of spin and two states of directional motion in each space coordinate, permits a stochastic solution of the Schrödinger equation (or the equivalent parabolic equation) without resorting to the usual analytical continuation in complex space of the particle trajectories. Analytical expressions are derived here for the various transitional probabilities in a 4RW by employing generating functions and eigenfunction expansions when the particle moves on a 1+1 space-time lattice with two-point boundary conditions. The most general case of dissimilar boundaries with partially reflecting boundary conditions is treated in this paper. The transitional probabilities are all expressed in terms of a finite summation involving trigonometric functions and/or Chebyshev polynomials of the second kind that are characteristics of diffusion and Schrödinger equations, respectively, in the 4RW model. Results for the special case of perfectly absorbing boundaries are compared to numerical values obtained by directly counting paths in the random walk simulations.

Keywords
  • boundary value problems,
  • diffusion,
  • random walks,
  • operator equations,
  • difference equations
Disciplines
Publication Date
March 5, 2009
Publisher Statement
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3122768 This article is copyrighted as indicated in the article. Reuse of AIP content is subject to the terms at: http://scitation.aip.org/termsconditions
Citation Information
Ramakrishna Janaswamy. "Transitional probabilities for the four-state random walk on a lattice in the presence of partially reflecting boundaries" Journal of Mathematical Physics Vol. 50 Iss. 053301 (2009)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/ramakrishna_janaswamy/3/