NEAREST-NEIGHBOR STATISTICS IN A ONE-DIMENSIONAL RANDOM SEQUENTIAL ADSORPTION PROCESS

The probability of finding a nearest neighbor at some radial distance from a reference point in many-particle systems is of fundamental impo rtance in a host of fields in the physical as well as biological scien ces. We have derived exact analytical expressions for nearest-neighbor probability functions for particles deposited on a line during a rand om sequential adsorption process for all densities, i.e., up to the ja mming limit. Using these results, we find the mean nearest-neighbor di stance lambda as a function of the packing fraction and discuss it in light of recent theorems derived for general ergodic and isotropic pac kings of hard spheres.