Effects of the mass of active Brownian particles on their movement in deformable channels.

What is it about?

This study investigates the transport and diffusion of active Brownian particles with mass inside deformable symmetric structures subjected to a constant external force. By modifying the shape parameter r within the range of −1 to 1 (−1 < r < 1), which allows for diverse channel configurations, we can observe a significant symmetry in mobility. Substantial particle masses contributed constraints on average velocity, mobility, and diffusion coefficient, indicating a propensity to cancel out these characteristics, despite considerable self-propulsion and external forces, along with a rectification. The presence of large open pores and significant channel wells, coupled with a fewer of constrictive geometries, increases mean velocity and nonlinear mobility, whereas the effective diffusion coefficient diminishes in the absence of bottlenecks. Peaks correspond to mass values that maximize mean velocity. Our findings show that the substantial masses of self-propelled particles reduce their rectification power, which then maximizes in ideal geometries.

Featured Image

Photo by Julius Hildebrandt on Unsplash

Photo by Julius Hildebrandt on Unsplash

Why is it important?

One particularity of this study is the type of channel. We can change it by simply modifying the shape parameter r. Another thing is the influence of the mass of particles, which allows for different behaviors.

Perspectives