Drift without flux: Brownian walker with aspace-dependent diffusion coefficient

Space-dependent diffusion of micrometer-sized particles has been directly observed using digital video microscopy. The particles were trapped between two nearly parallel walls making their confinement position dependent. Consequently, not only did we measure a diffusion coefficient which depended on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Europhysics letters 2001-04, Vol.54 (1), p.28-34
Main Authors: Lançon, P., Batrouni, G., Lobry, L., Ostrowsky, N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
05.40.Jc
67.40.Hf
82.70.Dd
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Space-dependent diffusion of micrometer-sized particles has been directly observed using digital video microscopy. The particles were trapped between two nearly parallel walls making their confinement position dependent. Consequently, not only did we measure a diffusion coefficient which depended on the particles' position, but also report and explain a new effect: a drift of the particles' individual positions in the direction of the diffusion coefficient gradient, in the absence of any external force or concentration gradient.
ISSN:0295-5075
1286-4854
DOI:10.1209/epl/i2001-00103-6