Hierarchical Lorentz mirror model: Normal transport and a universal 2/3 mean-variance law
Abstract
The Lorentz mirror model provides a clean setting to study macroscopic transport generated solely by quenched environmental randomness. We introduce a hierarchical version whose distribution of left--right crossings satisfies an exact recursion. In dimensions $d\ge3$, we prove two-sided bounds that support normal transport: the mean conductance scales as (cross-section)/(length). A Gaussian closure, supported by numerics, predicts that the variance-to-mean ratio of the dimensionless conductance converges to the universal value $2/3$ for all $d\ge2$ (the ``$2/3$ law''). We provide numerical evidence for the $2/3$ law in the original (non-hierarchical) Lorentz mirror model in $d=3$, and conjecture that it is a universal signature of normal transport induced by random current matching. In the marginal case $d=2$, our hierarchical recursion reproduces the known scaling of the mean and variance of conductance. A YouTube video discussing the background and the main results of the paper is available: https://youtu.be/G1nqKd6MiXo
Fields of Study & Subjects
Stochastic processes and statistical mechanics
Spectral Theory in Mathematical Physics
Quantum and electron transport phenomena
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Physical Review Letters
- Publication date
- 27 October 2026
- Language
- EN