Active Brownian particles driven by constant affinity. (21st August 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Speck, Thomas
• Is Part Of: Europhysics letters. Volume 123:Number 2(2018:Jul.)
• Publication Date: 2018-08-21
• Subjects: 05.40.-a -- 47.57.-s; Physics -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 530.05
• DOI: 10.1209/0295-5075/123/20007
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0295-5075

Abstract

Abstract: Experimental realizations of self-propelled colloidal Janus particles exploit the conversion of free energy into directed motion. One route is phoretic mechanisms that can be modeled schematically as the interconversion of two chemical species. Here we consider the situation when the difference of chemical potential between the two species (the driving affinity ) can be assumed to be constant, and we derive the thermodynamically consistent equations of motion. In contrast to the standard model of active Brownian particles parametrized by a constant self-propulsion speed, this yields a non-constant speed that depends on the potential energy of the suspension. This approach allows to consistently model the breaking of detailed balance and the accompanying entropy production without non-conservative forces.