Dumbbell transport and deflection in a spatially periodic potential

TL;DR

This paper investigates how a dumbbell moves through a 3D periodic potential under flow, revealing regimes of transport and deflection influenced by parameters and thermal fluctuations.

Contribution

It provides a theoretical analysis of dumbbell motion in periodic potentials, highlighting the effects of size, flow, and fluctuations on transport and deflection behaviors.

Findings

Transport and stair-like motion regimes identified

Deflection angle depends on dumbbell size and flow velocity

Thermal fluctuations induce resonance-like deflection variations

Abstract

We present theoretical results on the deterministic and stochastic motion of a dumbbell carried by a uniform flow through a three-dimensional spatially periodic potential. Depending on parameters like the flow velocity, there are two different kinds of movement: transport along a potential valley and stair-like motion oblique to the potential trenches. The crossover between these two regimes, as well as the deflection angle, depends on the size of the dumbbell. Moreover, thermal fluctuations cause a resonance-like variation in the deflection angle as a function of the dumbbell extension.