Effect of correlated noise on quasi-1D diffusion

TL;DR

This paper investigates how spatially correlated noise influences single-file diffusion in one-dimensional particle chains, revealing that such correlations can slow down or suppress diffusion, explaining experimental observations of subdiffusive behavior.

Contribution

It demonstrates that spatially correlated noise can significantly alter diffusion dynamics, leading to subdiffusive or suppressed diffusion in finite and infinite chains.

Findings

Correlated noise slows down diffusion in 1D chains.

Spatial correlation can cause subdiffusive behavior ~t^alpha.

Strong correlation can suppress diffusion entirely.

Abstract

Single-file diffusion (SFD) of an infinite one-dimensional chain of interacting particles has a long-time mean-square displacement (MSD) ~t^1/2, independent of the type of inter-particle repulsive interaction. This behavior is also observed in finite-size chains, although only for certain intervals of time t depending on the chain length L, followed by the ~t for t->infinity, as we demonstrate for a closed circular chain of diffusing interacting particles. Here we show that spatial correlation of noise slows down SFD and can result, depending on the amount of correlated noise, in either subdiffusive behavior ~t^alpha, where 0<alpha<1/2, or even in a total suppression of diffusion (in the limit N-> infinity). Spatial correlation can explain the subdiffusive behavior in recent SFD experiments in circular channels.