English

Non-Gaussian Normal Diffusion in a Fluctuating Corrugated Channel

Statistical Mechanics 2019-10-09 v1

Abstract

A Brownian particle floating in a narrow corrugated (sinusoidal) channel with fluctuating cross section exhibits non-Gaussian normal diffusion. Its displacements are distributed according to a Gaussian law for very short and asymptotically large observation times, whereas a robust exponential distribution emerges for intermediate observation times of the order of the channel fluctuation correlation time. For intermediate to large observation times the particle undergoes normal diffusion with one and the same effective diffusion constant. These results are analytically interpreted without having recourse to heuristic assumptions. Such a simple model thus reproduces recent experimental and numerical observations obtained by investigating complex biophysical systems.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1909.02173,
  title  = {Non-Gaussian Normal Diffusion in a Fluctuating Corrugated Channel},
  author = {Yunyun Li and Fabio Marchesoni and Debajyoti Debnath and Pulak K. Ghosh},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1909.02173},
  year   = {2019}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-23T11:06:11.539Z