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Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026

The Diffusion of Passive Tracers in Laminar Shear Flow
Published on: May 1, 2018
Shear-flow-enhanced barrier crossing.
Diego Kienle1, Jochen Bammert, Walter Zimmermann
1Theoretische Physik I, Universität Bayreuth, D-95440 Bayreuth, Germany. diego.kienle@uni-bayreuth.de
We studied how shear flow affects particles in a double well potential (DWP). Shear flow distorts particle distribution and changes barrier crossing currents, offering insights into optimizing nanoparticle transport.
Area of Science:
- Statistical Physics
- Nonlinear Dynamics
- Soft Matter Physics
Background:
- Brownian motion is fundamental to understanding particle dynamics in complex environments.
- Double well potentials (DWP) model systems with bistable states, crucial in various physical and chemical processes.
- Shear flow introduces external forces that can significantly alter particle behavior and transport properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the response of a single Brownian particle in a DWP subjected to linear shear flow.
- To analyze the influence of shear rate on particle distribution and barrier-crossing dynamics.
- To explore methods for optimizing flow-induced activated transport, particularly for nanoparticles.
Main Methods:
- Numerical solution of the Fokker-Planck equation to determine probability density and particle current.
- Analysis of particle density distribution and its difference map under shear flow.
- Investigation of the dependency of barrier-crossing current on shear rate and DWP parameters.
Main Results:
- Shear flow induces a distortion in the particle's probability distribution.
- The barrier-crossing current shows a convex dependency on shear rate for widely separated DWP minima.
- This dependency transitions to a concave characteristic as minima separation decreases, increasing barrier-crossing probability.
Conclusions:
- The study reveals a complex interplay between shear flow and DWP geometry in dictating particle transport.
- Extracting shear-flow-induced contributions to particle density provides a pathway to understand barrier-crossing currents.
- Findings suggest potential for designing specific flow profiles to enhance flow-induced activated transport of nanoparticles.

