WKB-type-of approximation for rare event statistics in reacting systems

Abstract

We calculate the probabilities to find systems of reacting particles in states which largely deviate from typical behavior. The rare event statistics is obtained from the master equation which describes the dynamics of the probability distribution of the particle number. We transform the master equation by means of a generating function into a time-dependent "Schrödinger equation". Its solution is provided by a separation ansatz and an approximation for the stationary part which is of Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) type employing a small parameter. The solutions of the "classical" equations of motions and a saddle point approximation yield the proper generating function. Our approach extends a method put forward by Elgart and Kamenev. We calculate the rare event statistics for systems where the dynamics cannot be entirely analyzed in an analytical manner. We consider different examples.