Non-isothermal Brownian motion

Applicant Professor Dr. Klaus Kroy
Subject Area Statistical Physics, Nonlinear Dynamics, Complex Systems, Soft and Fluid Matter, Biological Physics
Term from 2014 to 2017
Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 252376875
 

Project Description

Building on our pioneering work on hot Brownian motion, we aim at a comprehensive theoretical characterization of non-isothermal Brownian motion in terms of effective transport parameters and, in particular, effective temperatures. The Brownian scale separation allows for systematic analytical developments based on a generalized theory of fluctuating hydrodynamics that presumes local equilibrium on the molecular scale but accounts for non-isothermal and non-Markovian conditions on the Brownian scale, thereby providing a new paradigm for a manageable non-stationary system far from equilibrium. On this basis, we aim to establish the conceptual foundations for non-isothermal generalizations of universal fluctuation relations and for numerous innovative applications ranging from photothermal single-particle trapping and tracking techniques to nanomachines involving thermally activated macromolecular components.
DFG Programme Research Grants