Tunable diffusion of magnetic particles in a quasi-one-dimensional channel

Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2013 Jan;87(1):012307. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.87.012307. Epub 2013 Jan 14.

Abstract

The diffusion of a system of ferromagnetic dipoles confined in a quasi-one-dimensional parabolic trap is studied using Brownian dynamics simulations. We show that the dynamics of the system is tunable by an in-plane external homogeneous magnetic field. For a strong applied magnetic field, we find that the mobility of the system, the exponent of diffusion, and the crossover time among different diffusion regimes can be tuned by the orientation of the magnetic field. For weak magnetic fields, the exponent of diffusion in the subdiffusive regime is independent of the orientation of the external field.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Colloids / chemistry*
  • Computer Simulation
  • Diffusion*
  • Magnetic Fields*
  • Models, Chemical*
  • Particle Size
  • Rheology / methods*

Substances

  • Colloids