Directed motion from particle size oscillations inside an asymmetric channel

Abstract

The motion of a spherical Brownian particle in an asymmetric periodic channel is considered. Under an external periodic stimulus, the particle switches between two states with different particle radius, every half-period. Using Brownian dynamics simulations, we show that the particle size oscillation, combined with the asymmetry of the channel, induces a drift along the channel axis, directed towards the steeper wall of the channel. The oscillation of the particle size is accompanied by a time variation of the space accessible to the particle and by an oscillation of its diffusion coefficient. The former underlies the drift inducing mechanism of purely entropic nature. The latter, combined with the former, leads to a significant amplification of the effect. The drift velocity vanishes when interconversion between the states occurs either very slow or very fast, having a maximum in between. The position and magnitude of the maximum are discussed by providing an analytical approach based on intuitively appealing assumptions. Published by AIP Publishing.