Title: Virtual walks and phase transitions in two dimensional BChS model with extreme switches

Abstract: We have studied a walk in a one-dimensional virtual space corresponding to an extended version of the three-state BChS model of opinion formation, originally proposed in Physica A {\bf 391}, 3257 (2012), in which the agents are located on a two dimensional lattice. The opinions are designated by the values $\pm1$ and zero. Here we also consider switches between the extreme states $\pm 1$. The model involves two noise parameters representing the fraction of negative interactions $p$ and the probability of extreme switch denoted by $q$. The study shows that the nature of the walks changes drastically as the noise parameters exceed certain threshold values. The order-disorder phase transitions are independently obtained using the finite size scaling method showing that these threshold values are indeed consistent with those values of the parameters where a phase transition exists. The criticality is found to be Ising-like even when extreme switches are allowed. A new critical exponent associated with the probability distribution of the displacement is also obtained independent of the values of the critical parameters. The nature of the walks is compared to similar virtual walks studied earlier.