Diffusion in a random potential: Hopping as a dynamical consequence of localization

Roughening of the anharmonic elastic interface in correlated random media

We study the roughening properties of the anharmonic elastic interface in the presence of temporally correlated noise. The model can be seen as a generalization of the anharmonic Larkin model, recently introduced by Purrello, Iguain, and Kolton [Phys. Rev. E 99, 032105 (2019)2470-004510.1103/PhysRevE.99.032105], to investigate the effect of higher-order corrections to linear elasticity in the fate of interfaces. We find analytical expressions for the critical exponents as a function of the anharmonicity index n, the noise correlator range θ∈[0,1/2], and dimension d. In d=1 we find that the interface becomes faceted and exhibits anomalous scaling for θ>1/4 for any degree of anharmonicity n>1. Analytical expressions for the anomalous exponents α_{loc} and κ are obtained and compared with a numerical integration of the model. Our theoretical results show that anomalous roughening cannot exist for this model in dimensions d>1.

Random walk through a fertile site

We study the dynamics of random walks hopping on homogeneous hypercubic lattices and multiplying at a fertile site. In one and two dimensions, the total number N(t) of walkers grows exponentially at a Malthusian rate depending on the dimensionality and the multiplication rate μ at the fertile site. When d>d_{c}=2, the number of walkers may remain finite forever for any μ; it surely remains finite when μ≤μ_{d}. We determine μ_{d} and show that 〈N(t)〉 grows exponentially if μ>μ_{d}. The distribution of the total number of walkers remains broad when d≤2, and also when d>2 and μ>μ_{d}. We compute 〈N^{m}〉 explicitly for small m, and show how to determine higher moments. In the critical regime, 〈N〉 grows as sqrt[t] for d=3, t/lnt for d=4, and t for d>4. Higher moments grow anomalously, 〈N^{m}〉∼〈N〉^{2m-1}, in the critical regime; the growth is normal, 〈N^{m}〉∼〈N〉^{m}, in the exponential phase. The distribution of the number of walkers in the critical regime is asymptotically stationary and universal, viz., it is independent of the spatial dimension. Interactions between walkers may drastically change the behavior. For random walks with exclusion, if d>2, there is again a critical multiplication rate, above which 〈N(t)〉 grows linearly (not exponentially) in time; when d≤d_{c}=2, the leading behavior is independent on μ and 〈N(t)〉 exhibits a sublinear growth.

Viscoelastic subdiffusion in a random Gaussian environment

Viscoelastic subdiffusion governed by a fractional Langevin equation is studied numerically in a random Gaussian environment modeled by stationary Gaussian potentials with decaying spatial correlations. This anomalous diffusion is archetypal for living cells, where cytoplasm is known to be viscoelastic and a spatial disorder also naturally emerges. We obtain some first important insights into it within a model one-dimensional study. Two basic types of potential correlations are studied: short-range exponentially decaying and algebraically slow decaying with an infinite correlation length, both for a moderate (several k_BT, in the units of thermal energy), and strong (5-10k_BT) disorder. For a moderate disorder, it is shown that on the ensemble level viscoelastic subdiffusion can easily overcome the medium's disorder. Asymptotically, it is not distinguishable from the disorder-free subdiffusion. However, a strong scatter in single-trajectory averages is nevertheless seen even for a moderate disorder. It features a weak ergodicity breaking, which occurs on a very long yet transient time scale. Furthermore, for a strong disorder, a very long transient regime of logarithmic, Sinai-type diffusion emerges. It can last longer and be faster in the absolute terms for weakly decaying correlations as compared with the short-range correlations. Residence time distributions in a finite spatial domain are of a generalized log-normal type and are reminiscent also of a stretched exponential distribution. They can be easily confused for power-law distributions in view of the observed weak ergodicity breaking. This suggests a revision of some experimental data and their interpretation.

Persistent Sinai-type diffusion in Gaussian random potentials with decaying spatial correlations

Logarithmic or Sinai-type subdiffusion is usually associated with random force disorder and nonstationary potential fluctuations whose root-mean-squared amplitude grows with distance. We show here that extremely persistent, macroscopic logarithmic diffusion also universally emerges at sufficiently low temperatures in stationary Gaussian random potentials with spatially decaying correlations, known to exist in a broad range of physical systems. Combining results from extensive simulations with a scaling approach we elucidate the physical mechanism of this unusual subdiffusion. In particular, we explain why with growing temperature and/or time a first crossover occurs to standard, power-law subdiffusion, with a time-dependent power-law exponent, and then a second crossover occurs to normal diffusion with a disorder-renormalized diffusion coefficient. Interestingly, the initial, nominally ultraslow diffusion turns out to be much faster than the universal de Gennes-Bässler-Zwanzig limit of the renormalized normal diffusion, which realistically cannot be attained at sufficiently low temperatures and/or for strong disorder. The ultraslow diffusion is also shown to be nonergodic and it displays a local bias phenomenon. Our simple scaling theory not only explains our numerical findings but qualitatively also has a predictive character.

Dynamics of individual colloidal particles in one-dimensional random potentials: a simulation study

Using Monte Carlo simulations, individual Brownian particles have been investigated in a one-dimensional random energy landscape whose energy levels are selected from a Gaussian distribution. The standard deviation of the distribution determines the roughness of the noise-like potential and was varied in the simulations. After initialization, which was done by an instantaneous or infinitely slow (annealed) quench, the particle dynamics were followed. They were characterized by a number of parameters, such as the mean squared displacement, the time dependent diffusion coefficient, the non-Gaussian parameter, and the van Hove function. The dynamics exhibit different regimes: at very short times superdiffusion, followed by normal diffusion, and subsequently an extended period of subdiffusive dynamics due to localization within the minima of the potential, and finally, after a very slow approach towards the long-time limit, again diffusion with a significantly reduced diffusion coefficient. The long-time diffusion coefficient is consistent with theoretical predictions while no predictions exist for the intermediate times. Nevertheless, over the whole time range, the simulation results are in agreement with recent experimental findings on colloidal particles in a random potential created by a holographic optical setup.

Dynamics of perturbations in disordered chaotic systems

We study the time evolution of perturbations in spatially extended chaotic systems in the presence of quenched disorder. We find that initially random perturbations tend to exponentially localize in space around static pinning centers that are selected by the particular configuration of disorder. The spatiotemporal behavior of typical perturbations deltau(x,t) is analyzed in terms of the Hopf-Cole transform h(x,t) identical withlnmid R:deltau(x,t)mid R: . Our analysis shows that the associated surface h(x,t) self-organizes into a faceted structure with scale-invariant correlations. Scaling analysis of critical roughening exponents reveals that there are three different universality classes for error propagation in disordered chaotic systems that correspond to different symmetries of the underlying disorder. Our conclusions are based on numerical simulations of disordered lattices of coupled chaotic elements and equations for diffusion in random potentials. We propose a phenomenological stochastic field theory that gives some insights on the path for a generalization of these results for a broad class of disordered extended systems exhibiting space-time chaos.

Localization in disordered media, anomalous roughening, and coarsening dynamics of faceted surfaces

We study a surface growth model related to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation for nonequilibrium kinetic roughening, but where the thermal noise is replaced by a static columnar disorder eta(x) . This model is one of the many representations of the problem of particle diffusion in trapping or amplifying disordered media. We find that probability localization in the latter translates into facet formation in the equivalent surface growth problem. Coarsening of the pattern can therefore be identified with the diffusion of the localization center. The emergent faceted structure gives rise to nontrivial scaling properties, including anomalous surface roughening in excellent agreement with an existing conjecture for kinetic roughening of faceted surfaces. In a wider context, our study sheds light onto the scaling properties in other systems displaying this kind of patterned surface.

Phase diagram of optimal paths

We show that by choosing appropriate distributions of the randomness the search for optimal paths links diverse problems of disordered media, such as directed percolation, invasion percolation, and directed and nondirected spanning polymers. We also introduce a simple and efficient algorithm, which solves the d-dimensional model numerically in O(N(1+df/d)) steps, where df is the fractal dimension of the path. Using extensive simulations in two dimensions, we identify the phase boundaries of the directed polymer universality class. A new strong-disorder phase occurs where the optimum paths are self-affine with parameter-dependent scaling exponents. Furthermore, the phase diagram contains directed and nondirected percolation as well as the directed random walk models at specific points and lines.

Diffusion of hard sphere fluids in disordered media: a molecular dynamics simulation study

Molecular dynamic simulations are reported for the static and dynamic properties of hard sphere fluids in matrices (or media) composed of quenched hard spheres. The effect of fluid and matrix density, matrix structure, and fluid to matrix sphere size ratio on the static and dynamic properties is studied using discontinuous molecular dynamics. The matrix density has a stronger effect on the self-diffusion coefficient than the fluid density, especially at high matrix densities where the geometric constraints due to the quenched spheres are significant. When the ratio of the size of the fluid spheres to that of the matrix spheres is equal to or greater than one, the diffusion increases as the fluid density is increased, at constant total volume fraction. This trend is however reversed if the ratio is smaller than one. Different methods of generating the matrix have a very strong effect on the dynamic properties even though the static correlations are similar. An analysis of the single-chain structure factor of the particle trajectories shows a change in the particle diffusive behavior at different time scales, suggestive of a hopping mechanism, although normal diffusion is recovered at long times. At high matrix densities, there is considerable heterogeneity in the diffusion of the fluid particles. The simulations demonstrate that the correlations in the matrix play a significant role on the diffusion of fluid spheres. For example, the diffusion constant in matrices constructed by different methods can be an order of magnitude different even though the pair correlation functions are almost identical.

Localization of a polymer in random media: relation to the localization of a quantum particle

In this paper we consider in detail the connection between the problem of a polymer in a random medium and that of a quantum particle in a random potential. We are interested in a system of finite volume where the polymer is known to be localized inside a low minimum of the potential. We show how the end-to-end distance of a polymer that is free to move can be obtained from the density of states of the quantum particle using extreme value statistics. We give a physical interpretation to the recently discovered one-step replica-symmetry-breaking solution for the polymer [Phys. Rev. E 61, 1729 (2000)] in terms of the statistics of localized tail states. Numerical solutions of the variational equations for chains of different length are performed and compared with quenched averages computed directly by using the eigenfunctions and eigenenergies of the Schrödinger equation for a particle in a one-dimensional random potential. The quantities investigated are the radius of gyration of a free Gaussian chain, its mean square distance from the origin and the end-to-end distance of a tethered chain. The probability distribution for the position of the chain is also investigated. The glassiness of the system is explained and is estimated from the variance of the measured quantities.

Extremal-point densities of interface fluctuations in a quenched random medium

We give a number of exact, analytical results for the stochastic dynamics of the density of local extrema (minima and maxima) of linear Langevin equations and solid-on-solid lattice growth models driven by spatially quenched random noise. Such models can describe nonequilibrium surface fluctuations in a spatially quenched random medium, diffusion in a random catalytic environment, and polymers in a random medium. In spite of the nonuniversal character for the quantities studied, their behavior against the variation of the microscopic length scale can present generic features, characteristic of the macroscopic observables of the system.