Small-scale behaviour in deterministic reaction models

In a recent paper published in this journal (2009 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 42 495004) we studied a one-dimensional particles system where nearest particles attract with a force inversely proportional to a power ? of their distance and coalesce upon encounter. Numerics yielded a distribution function h(z) for the gap between neighbouring particles, with h(z) ~ z?(?) for small z and ?(?) ?. We can now prove analytically that in the strict limit of z ? 0, ? = ? for ? 0, corresponding to the mean-field result, and we compute the length scale where the mean field breaks down. More generally, in that same limit correlations are negligible for any similar reaction model where attractive forces diverge with vanishing distance. The actual meaning of the measured exponent ?(?) remains an open question.