Microscopic Gyration with Dissipative Coupling

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that dissipative coupling in microscopic particles can induce steady-state gyration, acting as autonomous machines that generate directed motion from anisotropic fluctuations, extending the concept beyond traditional Brownian gyrators.

Contribution

It introduces a novel mechanism where dissipative coupling, intrinsic to particles, induces gyration without conservative potentials, expanding the understanding of microscopic gyrators.

Findings

Dissipative coupling can generate anisotropic fluctuations leading to gyration.

Both Brownian and granular ellipsoids exhibit gyration due to dissipative coupling.

Gyration frequency is influenced by the Coriolis force in granular systems.

Abstract

Microscopic gyrators, including Brownian gyrators (BGs), require anisotropic fluctuations to perform gyration. It produces a finite current, driving the system out of equilibrium. In a typical BG set-up with an isotropic colloidal particle, the anisotropy sets in by the coupling among space dimensions via an externally applied anisotropic potential confining the particle and the difference between the temperatures along various space dimensions. The coupling is conservative. Here, contrary to a typical BG, first we consider an over-damped, anisotropic colloidal particle (a Brownian ellipsoid), trapped in an isotropic harmonic potential in two dimensions (2D). The space dimensions are coupled by the difference between the longitudinal and transverse frictional drags experienced by the ellipsoid, together with a finite tilt in its orientation due to its chirality. The coupling is dissipative. They are intrinsic properties of the particle. We have shown that this dissipative coupling can generate enough anisotropic fluctuations to perform a steady-state gyration in the Brownian scale. Next, going beyond BG, we have considered an inertial, granular, chiral ellipsoid in 2D, subjected to athermal, anisotropic fluctuations. There is no trapping force confining the granular ellipsoid. However, the coupling between the velocity components of the granular ellipsoid is still dissipative. We have shown that being assisted by the dissipative coupling and the anisotropic fluctuations, the inertial, granular ellipsoid can also perform gyration in 2D. We have also shown that the dominant contribution towards the gyrating frequency can be attributed to the Coriolis force acting on the granular ellipsoid. Hence, the gyrator in the granular scale is also a tiny autonomous machine that generates a directed motion (gyration) from fluctuations. Although there are fundamental differences between the two.