Rectification and non-Gaussian diffusion in heterogeneous media

Abstract

We show that when Brownian motion takes place in a heterogeneous medium, the presence of local forces and transport coefficients leads to deviations from a Gaussian probability distribution that make that the ratio between forward and backward probabilities depends on the nature of the host medium, on local forces and also on time. We have applied our results to two situations: diffusion in a disordered medium and diffusion in a confined system. For such scenarios we have shown that our theoretical predictions are in very good agreement with numerical results. Moreover we have shown that the deviations from the Gaussian solution lead to the onset of rectification. Our predictions could be used to detect the presence of local forces and to characterize the intrinsic short-scale properties of the host medium, a problem of current interest in the study of micro and nano-systems.

References in corpus (19)

• The Entropy Production Fluctuation Theorem and the Nonequilibrium Work Relation for Free Energy Differences
• Dynamical Ensembles in Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics
• Colloquium. Quantum Fluctuation Relations: Foundations and Applications
• Anomalous transport in the crowded world of biological cells
• Kinetic Equations for Diffusion in the Presence of Entropic Barriers
• Fluctuations in out of equilibrium systems: from theory to experiment
• Entropic particle transport: higher order corrections to the Fick-Jacobs diffusion equation
• The unreasonable effectiveness of equilibrium-like theory for interpreting non-equilibrium experiments
• Entropic electrokinetics: recirculation, particle separation and negative mobility
• Diffusion and subdiffusion of interacting particles on comb-like structures
• Confined Brownian ratchets
• Friction and noise for a probe in a nonequilibrium fluid
• Cooperative rectification in confined Brownian ratchets
• Entropically-induced asymmetric passage times of charged tracers across corrugated channels
• Non-monotonous polymer translocation time across corrugated channels: comparison between Fick-Jacobs approximation and numerical simulations
• Equilibrium Theory for a Particle Pulled by a Moving Optical Trap
• Gaussian noise and time-reversal symmetry in non-equilibrium Langevin models
• Long-Range Correlations in Diffusive Systems Away from Equilibrium
• Working under confinement

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Two Coupled Mechanisms Produce Fickian, yet non-Gaussian Diffusion in Heterogeneous Media
• Is Fickian Yet Non-Gaussian Diffusion Ubiquitous?
• Nonequilibrium Phenomena in Confined Systems
• Hydrodynamics of a Granular Gas in a Heterogeneous Environment
• Splitting probabilities for dynamics in corrugated channels: passive VS active Brownian motion
• Turning catalytically active pores into active pumps