{
  "id": "1602.01786",
  "version": "v1",
  "published": "2016-02-04T18:47:47.000Z",
  "updated": "2016-02-04T18:47:47.000Z",
  "title": "First-order phase transitions in outbreaks of co-infectious diseases and the extended general epidemic process",
  "authors": [
    "Hans-Karl Janssen",
    "Olaf Stenull"
  ],
  "comment": "6 pages, 3 figures",
  "categories": [
    "cond-mat.stat-mech"
  ],
  "abstract": "In co-infections, positive feedback between multiple diseases can accelerate outbreaks. In a recent letter Chen, Ghanbarnejad, Cai, and Grassberger (CGCG) introduced a spatially homogeneous mean-field model system for such co-infections, and studied this system numerically with focus on the possible existence of discontinuous phase transitions. We show that their model coincides in mean-field theory with the homogenous limit of the extended general epidemic process (EGEP). Studying the latter analytically, we argue that the discontinuous transition observed by CGCG is basically a spinodal phase transition and not a first-order transition with phase-coexistence. We derive the conditions for this spinodal transition along with predictions for important quantities such as the magnitude of the discontinuity. We also shed light on a true first-order transition with phase-coexistence by discussing the EGEP with spatial inhomogeneities.",
  "revisions": [
    {
      "version": "v1",
      "updated": "2016-02-04T18:47:47.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "analyses": {
    "keywords": [
      "extended general epidemic process",
      "first-order phase transitions",
      "homogeneous mean-field model system",
      "co-infectious diseases",
      "first-order transition"
    ],
    "publication": {
      "doi": "10.1209/0295-5075/113/26005",
      "journal": "EPL (Europhysics Letters)",
      "year": 2016,
      "month": "Jan",
      "volume": 113,
      "number": 2,
      "pages": 26005
    },
    "note": {
      "typesetting": "TeX",
      "pages": 6,
      "language": "en",
      "license": "arXiv",
      "status": "editable",
      "adsabs": "2016EL....11326005J"
    }
  }
}