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Updated: Sep 9, 2025

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Brownian motion with stochastic energy renewals
Ion Santra1, Kristian Stølevik Olsen2
1Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
Abstract:
We investigate the impact of intermittent energy injections on a Brownian particle, modeled as stochastic renewals of its kinetic energy to a fixed value. Between renewals, the particle follows standard underdamped Langevin dynamics. For energy renewals occurring at a constant rate, we find non-Boltzmannian energy distributions that undergo a shape transition driven by the competition between the velocity relaxation timescale and the renewal timescale. In the limit of rapid renewals, the dynamics mimics one-dimensional run-and-tumble motion, while at finite renewal rates, the effective diffusion coefficient exhibits non-monotonic behavior. To quantify the system's departure from equilibrium, we derive a modified fluctuation-response relation and demonstrate the absence of a consistent effective temperature. The dissipation is characterized by deviations from equilibrium-like response, captured via the Harada-Sasa relation. Finally, we extend the analysis to non-Poissonian renewal processes and introduce a dimensionless conversion coefficient that quantifies the thermodynamic cost of diffusion.
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