Generalized Diffusion

James F. Lutsko, Jean Pierre Boon

Published 2007-11-28Version 1

The Fokker-Planck equation for the probability $f(r,t)$ to find a random walker at position $r$ at time $t$ is derived for the case that the the probability to make jumps depends nonlinearly on $f(r,t)$. The result is a generalized form of the classical Fokker-Planck equation where the effects of drift, due to a violation of detailed balance, and of external fields are also considered. It is shown that in the absence of drift and external fields a scaling solution, describing anomalous diffusion, is only possible if the nonlinearity in the jump probability is of the power law type ($\sim f^{\eta }(r,t)$), in which case the generalized Fokker-Planck equation reduces to the well-known Porous Media equation. Monte-Carlo simulations are shown to confirm the theoretical results.