Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2025
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.07825 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866917222423724032 |
|---|---|
| author | Singh, Prashant Kessler, David A. Barkai, Eli |
| author_facet | Singh, Prashant Kessler, David A. Barkai, Eli |
| contents | We study the dynamics of a Sokoban random walker moving in a disordered medium with obstacle density $ρ$. In contrast to the classic model of de Gennes with static obstacles that exhibits a percolation transition, the Sokoban walker is capable of modifying its environment by pushing a few surrounding obstacles. Surprisingly, even a limited pushing ability leads to a loss of the percolation transition. Through a combination of a rigorous large-deviation calculation and extensive numerical simulations, we demonstrate that the Sokoban model belongs to the Balagurov-Vaks-Donsker-Varadhan trapping universality class. The survival probability that the walker has not yet been trapped inside a cage exhibits stretched-exponential relaxation at late times. Furthermore, using the average trap size as a proxy, we identify the emergence of a dynamical crossover at a density $ρ_* \approx 0.55$ between two qualitatively different trapping mechanisms: a self-trapping mechanism at low density, where the walker becomes dynamically localized within a self-formed trap, and a pre-existing trapping mechanism at high density, where confinement arises from the initial arrangement of obstacles. This crossover is responsible for the loss of the classical percolation transition. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_07825 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Sokoban Random Walk: From Environment Reshaping to Trapping Crossover Singh, Prashant Kessler, David A. Barkai, Eli Statistical Mechanics We study the dynamics of a Sokoban random walker moving in a disordered medium with obstacle density $ρ$. In contrast to the classic model of de Gennes with static obstacles that exhibits a percolation transition, the Sokoban walker is capable of modifying its environment by pushing a few surrounding obstacles. Surprisingly, even a limited pushing ability leads to a loss of the percolation transition. Through a combination of a rigorous large-deviation calculation and extensive numerical simulations, we demonstrate that the Sokoban model belongs to the Balagurov-Vaks-Donsker-Varadhan trapping universality class. The survival probability that the walker has not yet been trapped inside a cage exhibits stretched-exponential relaxation at late times. Furthermore, using the average trap size as a proxy, we identify the emergence of a dynamical crossover at a density $ρ_* \approx 0.55$ between two qualitatively different trapping mechanisms: a self-trapping mechanism at low density, where the walker becomes dynamically localized within a self-formed trap, and a pre-existing trapping mechanism at high density, where confinement arises from the initial arrangement of obstacles. This crossover is responsible for the loss of the classical percolation transition. |
| title | Sokoban Random Walk: From Environment Reshaping to Trapping Crossover |
| topic | Statistical Mechanics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.07825 |