Brownian motion at short time scales

Brownian motion has played important roles in many different fields of science since its origin was first explained by Albert Einstein in 1905. Einstein's theory of Brownian motion, however, is only applicable at long time scales. At short time scales, Brownian motion of a suspended particle is not completely random, due to the inertia of the particle and the surrounding fluid. Moreover, the thermal force exerted on a particle suspended in a liquid is not a white noise, but is colored. Recent experimental developments in optical trapping and detection have made this new regime of Brownian motion accessible. This review summarizes related theories and recent experiments on Brownian motion at short time scales, with a focus on the measurement of the instantaneous velocity of a Brownian particle in a gas and the observation of the transition from ballistic to diffusive Brownian motion in a liquid.     

On aggregate structures in a rod-like haematite particle suspension by means of Brownian dynamics simulations

We have investigated aggregation phenomena in a suspension composed of rod-like haematite particles by means of Brownian dynamics simulations. The magnetic moment of the haematite particles lies normal to the particle axis direction and therefore the present Brownian dynamics method takes into account the spin rotational Brownian motion about the particle axis. We have investigated the influence of the magnetic particle–field and particle–particle interactions, the shear rate and the volumetric fraction of particles on the particle aggregation phenomena. Snapshots of aggregate structures are used for a qualitative discussion and the cluster size distribution, radial distribution function and the orientational correlation functions of the direction of particle axis and magnetic moment are the focus for a quantitative discussion. The significant formation of raft-like clusters is found to occur at a magnetic particle–particle interaction strength much larger than that required for a magnetic spherical particle suspension. This is because the rotational Brownian motion has a significant influence on the formation of clusters in a suspension of rod-like particles with a large aspect ratio. An applied magnetic field enhances the formation of raft-like clusters. A shear flow does not have a significant influence on the internal structure of the clusters, but influences the cluster size distribution of the raft-like clusters.     

Brownian motion and correlation in particle image velocimetry

In particle image velocimetry applications involving either low velocities or small seed particles, Brownian motion can be significant. This paper addresses the effects of Brownian motion. First, general equations describing cross-correlation particle image velocimetry are derived that include Brownian motion. When light-sheet illumination particle image velocimetry (PIV) is used Brownian motion diminishes the signal strength. A parameter describing this effect is introduced, and a weighting function describing the contribution to the measured velocity as a function of position is derived. The latter is unaffected by Brownian motion. Microscopic PIV Brownian motion also diminishes the signal strength. The weighting function for microscopic PIV is found to depend on Brownian motion, thus affecting an important experimental parameter, the depth of correlation. For both light-sheet illumination and microscopic PIV, a major consequence of Brownian motion is the spreading of the correlation signal peak. Because the magnitude of the spreading is dependent on temperature, PIV can, in principle, be used to simultaneously measure velocity and temperature. The location of the signal peak provides the velocity data, while the spreading of the peak yields temperature.     

Brownian Motion Theory of Oxide High-Tc,Superconductor and Inertial Effects of Vortices

The flux dynamics in high-T_c, oxidc superconductors is investigated by using Brownian motion theory, and the inertial effect is studied. Because of the layer structure of the superconductor,the dynamics can be described by the Brownian motion of a particle in a biased periodic potential field.     

Chaotic Behavior of a Brownian Particle in a Periodic Potential

The classical deterministic dynamics of a Brownian particle with a time-dependent periodic perturbation in a spatially periodic potential is investigated. We have constructed a perturbed chaotic solution near the heteroclinic orbit of the nonlinear dynamics system by using the Constant-Variation method. Theoretical analysis and numerical result show that the motion of the Brownian particle is a kind of chaotic motion. The corresponding chaotic region in parameter space is obtained analytically and numerically.     

Chaotic Behavior of a Brownian Particle in a Periodic Potential

The classical deterministic dynamics of a Brownian particle with a time-dependent periodic perturbation in a spatially periodic potential is investigated. We have constructed a perturbed chaotic solution near the heteroclinic orbit of the nonlinear dynamics system by using the Constant-Variation method. Theoretical analysis and numerical result show that the motion of the Brownian particle is a kind of chaotic motion. The corresponding chaotic region in parameter space is obtained analytically and numerically.     

双稳系统的随机能量共振和作功效率

分析了处于双稳系统中的布朗粒子与外界的周期性外力和热随机力的功、热交互作用,建立了基于Langevin方程的随机能量平衡方程.围绕着受周期力、随机力和阻尼力共同作用的Langevin方程,采用动力学和非平衡热力学相结合的方法,从以"力"为立足点转到以"能量"为研究核心,深入分析了布朗粒子沿单一轨线运动时系统与环境之间的能量交换和作功效率,揭示了双稳系统的随机能量共振现象. 关键词： 双稳系统 随机能量共振 作功效率     

Master equation for a quantum particle in a gas

The equation for the quantum motion of a Brownian particle in a gaseous environment is derived by means of S-matrix theory. This quantum version of the linear Boltzmann equation accounts nonperturbatively for the quantum effects of the scattering dynamics and describes decoherence and dissipation in a unified framework. As a completely positive master equation it incorporates both the known equation for an infinitely massive Brownian particle and the classical linear Boltzmann equation as limiting cases.     

微通道中高分子溶液Poiseuille流的耗散粒子动力学模拟

利用耗散粒子动力学(dissipative particle dynamics, DPD)方法模拟了微通道中高分子溶液的Poiseuille流动.研究表明, 微通道中的高分子溶液呈现非牛顿流体特性, 可以用幂律流体来描述流动行为, 高分子浓度越大, 幂律指数n 越小. 高分子链与壁面的流体动力学相互作用以及布朗扩散率梯度控制着高分子链的横向迁移. 由于传统的DPD方法中壁面诱导的流体动力学作用部分被屏蔽, 高分子链将向壁面方向迁移, 并且随着流场增强, 高分子链向壁面方向迁移越明显. 未被屏蔽的流体动力学相互作用和布朗扩散率梯度相互竞争, 使高分子链在微通道内的质心分布呈双峰状, 通道中心处高分子浓度出现局部最小值. 当通道宽度减小、强受限时, 壁面与高分子链间的流体动力学相互作用可能全部被屏蔽, 而布朗扩散运动弱, 高分子向壁面方向有微弱的迁移. 关键词： 耗散粒子动力学 高分子溶液 非牛顿流体 横向迁移     

Temperature Dependence of Thermal Conductivity of Nanofluids

Mechanism of thermal conductivity of nanofluids is analysed and calculated, including Brownian motion effects, particle agglomeration and viscosity, together influenced by temperature. The results show that only Brown- Jan motion as reported is not enough to describe the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity of nanofluids. The change of particle agglomeration and viscosity with temperature are also important factors. As temperature increases, the reduction of the particle surface energy would decrease the agglomeration of nanopartieles, and the reduction of viscosity would improve the Brownish motion. The results egree well with the experimental data reported.     

Brownian Motion of a Charged Particle in Electromagnetic Fluctuations at Finite Temperature

The fluctuation-dissipation theorem is a central theorem in nonequilibrium statistical mechanics by which the evolution of velocity fluctuations of the Brownian particle under a fluctuating environment is intimately related to its dissipative behavior. This can be illuminated in particular by an example of Brownian motion in an ohmic environment where the dissipative effect can be accounted for by the first-order time derivative of the position. Here we explore the dynamics of the Brownian particle coupled to a supraohmic environment by considering the motion of a charged particle interacting with the electromagnetic fluctuations at finite temperature. We also derive particle’s equation of motion, the Langevin equation, by minimizing the corresponding stochastic effective action, which is obtained with the method of Feynman-Vernon influence functional. The fluctuation-dissipation theorem is established from first principles. The backreaction on the charge is known in terms of electromagnetic self-force given by a third-order time derivative of the position, leading to the supraohmic dynamics. This self-force can be argued to be insignificant throughout the evolution when the charge barely moves. The stochastic force arising from the supraohmic environment is found to have both positive and negative correlations, and it drives the charge into a fluctuating motion. Although positive force correlations give rise to the growth of the velocity dispersion initially, its growth slows down when correlation turns negative, and finally halts, thus leading to the saturation of the velocity dispersion. The saturation mechanism in a supraohmic environment is found to be distinctly different from that in an ohmic environment. The comparison is discussed.     

Brownian dynamics simulations with spin Brownian motion on the negative magneto-rheological effect of a rod-like hematite particle suspension

We have investigated the behaviour of a suspension of magnetic rod-like hematite particles in a simple shear flow with the addition of an applied magnetic field. A significant feature of the present hematite particle suspension is the fact that the magnetic moment of the hematite particle lies normal to the particle-axis direction. From simulations, we have attempted to clarify the dependence of the negative magneto-rheological effect on the particle aggregation and orientational distribution of particles. The present Brownian dynamics method has a significant advantage in that it takes into account the spin rotational Brownian motion about the particle axis in addition to the ordinary translational and rotational Brownian motion. The net viscosity is decomposed into three components and discussed at a deeper level and in detail: these three viscosity components arise from (1) the torque due to the magnetic particle–field interaction, (2) the torque and (3) the force due to the interaction between particles. It is found that a slight change in the orientational distribution has a significant influence on the negative magneto-rheological effect. In a relatively dense suspension, the viscosity components arising from an applied magnetic field and the interaction between particles come to change rapidly for a certain strength of the magnetic particle–particle interaction, which is due to the onset of the formation of raft-like clusters.     

Quantum Brownian motion on potential surfaces coupled via tunneling in an external electric field[-2mm]

The present paper deals with the motion of a Brownian particle on two identical but shifted potential surfaces, coupled via a tunneling matrix element in an external electric field. Dissipation is induced by a heat bath represented by an infinite set of harmonic oscillators with a continuum range of frequencies. We derive a perturbative solution for the quantum coherence term of the particle system after performing a small-polaron-like transformation. This is subsequently necessary for the extraction of an equation that describes the reduced dynamics and the minimal action path of the Brownian particle. Finally we extract expressions for the population relaxation rate and the pure quantum-dephasing rate of the two-level system. Received 4 January 2001 and Received in final form 12 March 2001     

Initial condition effects for a Brownian particle in a harmonic chain

The influence of initial deviations from bath equilibrium on the motion of a Brownian particle in a harmonic chain is investigated by exact calculation. These initial condition effects, which are excluded by convention in standard projection operator treatments of relaxation processes, are found to be relatively long-lived, contrary to usual assumption. For weak, localized initial deviations from bath equilibrium these effects on the motion are small in magnitude and may be accounted for by a modified initial condition on the particle velocity. For initial deviations involving many bath particles these effects are more substantial and retention of their time dependence in the particle equation of motion is generally required.For a correction to Ref. 2a see Ref. 3.     

Spherical particle Brownian motion in viscous medium as non-Markovian random process

The Brownian motion of a spherical particle in an infinite medium is described by the conventional methods and integral transforms considering the entrainment of surrounding particles of the medium by the Brownian particle. It is demonstrated that fluctuations of the Brownian particle velocity represent a non-Markovian random process. The features of Brownian motion in short time intervals and in small displacements are considered.     

Directed transport of a Brownian particle in a periodically tapered tube

The problem of the motion of a Brownian particle in a periodically tapered tube induced by a time-periodic longitudinal force with zero mean is considered. Under the action of this force, the particle is shown to drift in a direction opposite to the constant load force applied to it. Analytical solutions for the drift velocity, the stopping force (the load causing the effect to disappear), and the efficiency of converting the energy introduced by perturbations into directed motion have been obtained at a large amplitude of the driving force, when the effect being discussed is maximal. In the range of its applicability extending from zero to asymptotically large force switching frequencies (proportional to the amplitude of the driving force), these solutions are in good agreement with the results of Brownian dynamics simulations.     

Experimental study on air-liquid interface effect of Brownian dynamics using spectral-domain low-coherence dynamic light scattering

Space-variant dynamics of Brownian particles near an air-liquid interface is investigated by a one-shot analysis technique based on spectral-domain low-coherence dynamic light scattering. The expression “one shot” refers to the simultaneous and seamless measurement of temporal autocorrelation functions of the time-varying intensity depending on the scattering position without any scanning operation. It is experimentally confirmed that the Brownian motion is suppressed in a region close to an air-liquid interface, is activated by increasing the distance from the interface, and becomes freely diffusive far from the interface. This work is considered to be the first experimental confirmation of space-variant Brownian dynamics in the vicinity of an air-liquid interface.     

Rhythmic cluster generation in strongly driven colloidal dispersions

We study the response of a nematic colloidal dispersion of rods to a driven probe particle which is dragged with high speed through the dispersion perpendicular to the nematic director. In front of the dragged particle, clusters of rods are generated which rhythmically grow and dissolve by rotational motion. We find evidence for a mesoscopic cluster-cluster correlation length, independent of the imposed drag speed. Our results are based on nonequilibrium Brownian dynamics computer simulations and in line with a dynamical scaling theory.     

Brownian diffusion in overdamped sine-Gordon model

The time decay of correlation for Brownian motion in a one-dimensional periodic potential and for large viscosity is studied analytically in an asymptotic method. The result is related to the dynamics of an overdamped sine-Gordon chain. The relevance of our finding to the superionic conduction phenomena is discussed.