Transition time statistics in simple bi-stable chemical systems

Exact recursion formulae are derived for numerically calculating the means and variances of the quasi-stable state transition times for a simple class of spatially homogeneous, nonequilibrium chemical systems. Application of these formulae to some specific cases of the Schlögl model indicates that the standard deviation in the transition time from one quasi-stable state to another is generally equal to or somewhat less than the corresponding mean. It is concluded that the transition times are distributed “quasi-exponentially,” so that the passage of a system from one quasi-stable state to another is roughly analogous to the decay of a radioactive atom.