Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026

The Diffusion of Passive Tracers in Laminar Shear Flow
Published on: May 1, 2018
Persistence of Brownian motion in a shear flow
Yoshinori Takikawa1, Hiroshi Orihara1
1Division of Applied Physics, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8628, Japan.
Abstract:
The persistence of a Brownian particle in a shear flow is investigated. The persistence probability P(t), which is the probability that the particle does not return to its initial position up to time t, is known to obey a power law P(t)∝t(-θ). Since the displacement of a particle along the flow direction due to convection is much larger than that due to Brownian motion, we define an alternative displacement in which the convection effect is removed. We derive theoretically the two-time correlation function and the persistence exponent θ of this displacement. The exponent has different values at short and long times. The theoretical results are compared with experiment and a good agreement is found.
More Related Videos
11:51Visually Based Characterization of the Incipient Particle Motion in Regular Substrates: From Laminar to Turbulent Conditions
Published on: February 22, 2018
11:03An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Newtonian Fluid: Problem Solving
A velocity gradient forms within the fluid when a Newtonian fluid is placed between two parallel plates, with...
Couette Flow
Viscosity
The SI unit of viscosity is...
Viscosity
Irrotational Flow
Navier–Stokes Equations