Krometis, Justin2014-03-142014-03-142004-04-23etd-04302004-120043http://hdl.handle.net/10919/42365We examine the effect of lane preference on a quasi one-dimensional three-state driven lattice gas, consisting of holes and positive and negative particles, and periodic boundary conditions in the longitudinal direction. Particles move via particle-hole and, with a lesser rate, particle-particle exchanges; the species are driven in opposite directions along the lattice, each preferring one of the lanes with a given probability, <I>p</I>. The model can be interpreted as traffic flow on a two-lane beltway, with fast cars preferring the left lane and slow cars preferring the right, viewed in a comoving frame. In steady-sate, the system typically exhibits a macroscopic cluster containing a majority of the particles. At very high values of <I>p</I>, a first order transition takes the system to a spatially disordered state. Using Monte Carlo simulations to analyze the system, we find that the size of the cluster increases with lane preference. We also observe a region of negative response, where increasing the lane preference <I>decreases</I> the number of particles in their favored lane, against all expectations. In addition, simulations show an intriguing sequence of density profiles for the two species. We apply mean-field theory, continuity equations, and symmetries to derive relationships between observables to make a number of predictions verified by the Monte Carlo data.In Copyrightdriven lattice gasMonte Carlo simulationsphase transitionnon-equilibrium steady-statehighway trafficThesishttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-04302004-120043/