Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Molecular Diffusion in Plasma Membranes of Primary Lymphocytes Measured by Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy
Published on: February 1, 2017
Diffusion in a time-dependent external field
S A Trigger1, G J F van Heijst, O F Petrov
1Joint Institute for High Temperatures, Russian Academy of Sciences, 13/19, Izhorskaia Strasse, Moscow 127412, Russia. strig@gmx.net
Abstract:
The problem of diffusion in a time-dependent (and generally inhomogeneous) external field is considered on the basis of a generalized master equation with two times, introduced by Trigger and co-authors [S. A. Trigger, G. J. F. van Heijst, and P. P. J. M. Schram, Physica A 347, 77 (2005); J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 11, 37 (2005)]. We consider the case of the quasi-Fokker-Planck approximation, when the probability transition function for diffusion (PTD function) does not possess a long tail in coordinate space and can be expanded as a function of instantaneous displacements. The more complicated case of long tails in the PTD will be discussed separately. We also discuss diffusion on the basis of hydrodynamic and kinetic equations and show the validity of the phenomenological approach. A type of "collision" integral is introduced for the description of diffusion in a system of particles, which can transfer from a moving state to the rest state (with some waiting time distribution). The solution of the appropriate kinetic equation in the external field also confirms the phenomenological approach of the generalized master equation.
Related Concept Videos
Diffusion
Diffusion
Carrier Transport
Drift Current:
The drift of charge carriers is started by an external electric field (E). Charged particles, such as electrons and holes, experience an acceleration between collisions with lattice atoms. For electrons, this results in a drift velocity (vd) given by:
Theory of Metallic Conduction
In this theory, Newton's second law of motion is used to determine the acceleration of an electron in the presence of an applied electric field. Then, its velocity is expressed via this acceleration.
An electron moves through the crystal, containing positive ions,...
Protein Diffusion in the Membrane
Electrostatic Boundary Conditions
The surface integral of an electric field is given by Gauss's law in integral form and is related to...

