English

Random Time-Scale Invariant Diffusion and Transport Coefficients

Statistical Mechanics 2009-11-13 v1

Abstract

Single particle tracking of mRNA molecules and lipid granules in living cells shows that the time averaged mean squared displacement δ2\overline{\delta^2} of individual particles remains a random variable while indicating that the particle motion is subdiffusive. We investigate this type of ergodicity breaking within the continuous time random walk model and show that δ2\overline{\delta^2} differs from the corresponding ensemble average. In particular we derive the distribution for the fluctuations of the random variable δ2\overline{\delta^2}. Similarly we quantify the response to a constant external field, revealing a generalization of the Einstein relation. Consequences for the interpretation of single molecule tracking data are discussed.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.0807.4793,
  title  = {Random Time-Scale Invariant Diffusion and Transport Coefficients},
  author = {Y. He and S. Burov and R. Metzler and E. Barkai},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0807.4793},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

4 pages, 4 figures.Article accompanied by a PRL Viewpoint in Physics1, 8 (2008)

R2 v1 2026-06-21T11:05:45.658Z