  We investigate the statistics of the time taken for a system driven by
recruitment to reach fixation. Our model describes a series of experiments
where a population is confronted with two identical options, resulting in the
system fixating on one of the options. For a specific population size, we show
that the time distribution behaves like an inverse Gaussian with an exponential
decay. Varying the population size reveals that the timescale of the decay
depends on the population size and allows the critical population number, below
which fixation occurs, to be estimated from experimental data.

Statistical Mechanics;Populations and Evolution