Seminar: Saar Rahav
Thursday, April 13, 2017 · 2 - 3 PM
Title: Interactions in stochastic pumps
Abstract: Our cells are teeming with molecules that operate like machines. These microscopic machines are essential for life. The existence of biological molecular machines have motivated researchers to design and synthesize artificial molecular machines in their labs. These artificially designed systems can be driven in new and interesting ways, which are not encountered in nature.
Several of the designs of artificial molecular machines use periodic variation of the environment as the driving force. Such systems are known as stochastic pumps, due to their similarity to everyday, macroscopic pumps. In this talk will discuss several aspects of the theory of stochastic pumps. I will argue that a seemingly natural protocol of driving such systems does not work. This result is known as the no-pumping theorem, but was derived for a system with a single particle. I will then point out that interactions can affect this result in an interesting way. No-pumping remains valid for many-particle systems if they interact via a zero-range interaction, but is violated for exclusion interactions. I will then point out which property of the interaction is responsible for the breakdown of no-pumping.
Abstract: Our cells are teeming with molecules that operate like machines. These microscopic machines are essential for life. The existence of biological molecular machines have motivated researchers to design and synthesize artificial molecular machines in their labs. These artificially designed systems can be driven in new and interesting ways, which are not encountered in nature.
Several of the designs of artificial molecular machines use periodic variation of the environment as the driving force. Such systems are known as stochastic pumps, due to their similarity to everyday, macroscopic pumps. In this talk will discuss several aspects of the theory of stochastic pumps. I will argue that a seemingly natural protocol of driving such systems does not work. This result is known as the no-pumping theorem, but was derived for a system with a single particle. I will then point out that interactions can affect this result in an interesting way. No-pumping remains valid for many-particle systems if they interact via a zero-range interaction, but is violated for exclusion interactions. I will then point out which property of the interaction is responsible for the breakdown of no-pumping.
