Anomalous Brownian motion of colloidal particle in a nematic environment: effect of the director fluctuations
As recently reported [Turiv T. et al., Science, 2013, Vol. 342, 1351], fluctuations in the orientation of the liquid crystal (LC) director can transfer momentum from the LC to a colloid, such that the diffusion of the colloid becomes anomalous on a short time scale. Using video microscopy and single...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Institute for Condensed Matter Physics
2015-06-01
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| Series: | Condensed Matter Physics |
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| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.5488/CMP.18.23001 |
| _version_ | 1818269804544393216 |
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| author | T. Turiv A. Brodin V.G. Nazarenko |
| author_facet | T. Turiv A. Brodin V.G. Nazarenko |
| author_sort | T. Turiv |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As recently reported [Turiv T. et al., Science, 2013, Vol. 342, 1351], fluctuations in the orientation of the liquid crystal (LC) director can transfer momentum from the LC to a colloid, such that the diffusion of the colloid becomes anomalous on a short time scale. Using video microscopy and single particle tracking, we investigate random thermal motion of colloidal particles in a nematic liquid crystal for the time scales shorter than the expected time of director fluctuations. At long times, compared to the characteristic time of the nematic director relaxation we observe typical anisotropic Brownian motion with the mean square displacement (MSD) linear in time τ and inversly proportional to the effective viscosity of the nematic medium. At shorter times, however, the dynamics is markedly nonlinear with MSD growing more slowly (subdiffusion) or faster (superdiffusion) than τ. These results are discussed in the context of coupling of colloidal particle's dynamics to the director fluctuation dynamics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T21:00:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1bb5990651e94e3c9ed218c37d1aac34 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1607-324X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T21:00:12Z |
| publishDate | 2015-06-01 |
| publisher | Institute for Condensed Matter Physics |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Condensed Matter Physics |
| spelling | doaj.art-1bb5990651e94e3c9ed218c37d1aac342022-12-22T00:12:09ZengInstitute for Condensed Matter PhysicsCondensed Matter Physics1607-324X2015-06-011822300110.5488/CMP.18.23001Anomalous Brownian motion of colloidal particle in a nematic environment: effect of the director fluctuationsT. Turiv A. Brodin V.G. NazarenkoAs recently reported [Turiv T. et al., Science, 2013, Vol. 342, 1351], fluctuations in the orientation of the liquid crystal (LC) director can transfer momentum from the LC to a colloid, such that the diffusion of the colloid becomes anomalous on a short time scale. Using video microscopy and single particle tracking, we investigate random thermal motion of colloidal particles in a nematic liquid crystal for the time scales shorter than the expected time of director fluctuations. At long times, compared to the characteristic time of the nematic director relaxation we observe typical anisotropic Brownian motion with the mean square displacement (MSD) linear in time τ and inversly proportional to the effective viscosity of the nematic medium. At shorter times, however, the dynamics is markedly nonlinear with MSD growing more slowly (subdiffusion) or faster (superdiffusion) than τ. These results are discussed in the context of coupling of colloidal particle's dynamics to the director fluctuation dynamics.http://dx.doi.org/10.5488/CMP.18.23001nematic liquid crystalBrownian motiondirector fluctuations |
| spellingShingle | T. Turiv A. Brodin V.G. Nazarenko Anomalous Brownian motion of colloidal particle in a nematic environment: effect of the director fluctuations Condensed Matter Physics nematic liquid crystal Brownian motion director fluctuations |
| title | Anomalous Brownian motion of colloidal particle in a nematic environment: effect of the director fluctuations |
| title_full | Anomalous Brownian motion of colloidal particle in a nematic environment: effect of the director fluctuations |
| title_fullStr | Anomalous Brownian motion of colloidal particle in a nematic environment: effect of the director fluctuations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Anomalous Brownian motion of colloidal particle in a nematic environment: effect of the director fluctuations |
| title_short | Anomalous Brownian motion of colloidal particle in a nematic environment: effect of the director fluctuations |
| title_sort | anomalous brownian motion of colloidal particle in a nematic environment effect of the director fluctuations |
| topic | nematic liquid crystal Brownian motion director fluctuations |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.5488/CMP.18.23001 |
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