Operatorial Formulation of a Model of Spatially Distributed Competing Populations

Abstract

This paper deals with the application of the mathematical apparatus of quantum mechanics for the formulation of an operatorial model of a couple of populations spatially distributed over a one-dimensional region. The two populations interact with a competitive mechanism and are able to diffuse over the region. A nonlocal competition effect is also included. In more detail, we consider a one-dimensional region divided in N cells where the actors, represented by annihilation, creation, and a number fermionic operators, interact. The dynamics is governed by a self-adjoint and time-independent Hamiltonian operator describing the various interactions. The results of some numerical simulations are presented and discussed. The recently introduced variant of the standard Heisenberg approach, named (H,ρ)-induced dynamics, is also used in order to take into account some changes in time of the attitudes of the two populations, and obtain more realistic dynamical outcomes.