Transitions Induced by the Discreteness of Molecules in a Small Autocatalytic System
Abstract
The autocatalytic reaction system with a small number of molecules is studied numerically by stochastic particle simulations. A novel state due to fluctuation and discreteness in molecular numbers is found, characterized as an extinction of molecule species alternately in the autocatalytic reaction loop. Phase transition to this state with changes of the system size and flow is studied, while a single-molecule switch of the molecule distributions is reported. The relevance of the results to intracellular processes is briefly discussed.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- March 2001
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.2459
- arXiv:
- arXiv:physics/0008238
- Bibcode:
- 2001PhRvL..86.2459T
- Keywords:
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- Physics - Biological Physics;
- Condensed Matter - Statistical Mechanics;
- Nonlinear Sciences - Adaptation and Self-Organizing Systems;
- Quantitative Biology - Subcellular Processes
- E-Print:
- 5 pages, 4 figures