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Scanning SQUID Study of Vortex Manipulation by Local Contact
06:53

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Published on: February 1, 2017

Brownian vortexes.

Bo Sun1, Jiayi Lin, Ellis Darby

  • 1Department of Physics and Center for Soft Matter Research, New York University, New York, New York 10003, USA.

Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|August 8, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Particles in nonconservative force fields can form steady states called Brownian vortices. These vortices show how thermal fluctuations can extract work from forces, acting as stochastic heat engines, with circulation reversible by temperature or laser power.

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Area of Science:

  • Physics
  • Statistical Mechanics
  • Soft Matter

Background:

  • Mechanical equilibrium at zero temperature does not guarantee thermodynamic equilibrium at finite temperatures.
  • Nonconservative force fields can lead to complex particle dynamics beyond simple deterministic responses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and characterize a novel steady state in particle diffusion under nonconservative forces.
  • To explore the role of thermal fluctuations in extracting work from nonconservative fields.
  • To demonstrate a new class of stochastic heat engines.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical modeling of particle diffusion in nonconservative potentials.
  • Experimental investigation using optical tweezers and colloidal spheres.
  • Analysis of probability flux and particle trajectories.

Main Results:

  • Identified a steady state characterized by toroidal circulation in probability flux, termed a Brownian vortex.
  • Demonstrated that thermal fluctuations, in conjunction with nonconservative forces, can extract work.
  • Showcased Brownian vortices acting as stochastic heat engines.

Conclusions:

  • Nonconservative forces can induce ordered motion (Brownian vortices) in diffusing particles at finite temperatures.
  • These vortices represent a previously unrecognized class of stochastic heat engines.
  • The circulation direction in Brownian vortices is tunable via temperature and laser power in optical tweezer systems.