Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 22, 2026

Application of Electrophysiology Measurement to Study the Activity of Electro-Neutral Transporters
Published on: February 3, 2018
Giant enhancement of transport driven by active fluctuations: Impact of inertia
1University of Silesia, Institute of Physics, 41-500 Chorzów, Poland.
Abstract:
Recently, a paradoxical effect has been demonstrated in which transport of a free Brownian particle driven by active fluctuations in the form of white Poisson shot noise can be significantly enhanced when it is additionally subjected to a periodic potential. This phenomenon can emerge in an overdamped system, but it may also be inertia-induced. Here, we considerably extend previous studies and comprehensively investigate the impact of inertia on the effect of free transport enhancement observed in the overdamped system. We detect that inertia cannot only induce this phenomenon, but, depending on a parameter regime, it may also strengthen, weaken, or even destroy it. We exemplify these different scenarios and explore the parameter space to identify the corresponding regions where they emerge. The variance of the active fluctuations amplitude distribution is a key determinant of the inertia influence on the effect of free transport amplification. Our results are relevant not only for microscopic physical systems, but also for biological ones, such as living cells, where fluctuations generated by metabolic activities are active by default.
Related Concept Videos
Secondary Active Transport
Secondary Active Transport
Primary Active Transport
Primary Active Transport
Xylem and Transpiration-driven Transport of Resources
Active Transport
Primary active transporters, like Na+, K+ and -ATPase, directly utilize ATP to move ions across the membrane. These transporters play significant roles in various physiological processes. For instance, Na+, K+ and -ATPase maintain...

