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Peter Hänggi

Publications and source records attributed to Peter Hänggi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Transport via nonlinear signal mixing in ratchet devices.

The nonlinear signal mixing of two driving forces is used to control transport in overdamped ratchet devices. The interplay between the relative phase and the frequency ratio of the two driving forces is sufficient to generate an intriguing transport action that can be put to work to optimize shuttling and separation of particles in a variety of physical and technological applications. Analytic results for a striking multiple current reversal behavior including prominent, spikelike current features are obtained for doubly rocked and rocked-pulsated Brownian ratchets. This tunable signal mixing is readily implementable and exhibits even richer behaviors than those realized by the hard-to-implement modifiable-ratchet profiles.

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Fractional diffusion modeling of ion channel gating.

An anomalous diffusion model for ion channel gating is put forward. This scheme is able to describe nonexponential, power-law-like distributions of residence time intervals in several types of ion channels. Our method presents a generalization of the discrete diffusion model by Millhauser, Salpeter, and Oswald [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 85, 1503 (1988)] to the case of a continuous, anomalous slow conformational diffusion. The corresponding generalization is derived from a continuous-time random walk composed of nearest-neighbor jumps which in the scaling limit results in a fractional diffusion equation. The studied model contains three parameters only: the mean residence time, a characteristic time of conformational diffusion, and the index of subdiffusion. A tractable analytical expression for the characteristic function of the residence time distribution is obtained. In the limiting case of normal diffusion, our prior findings [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 99, 3552 (2002)] are reproduced. Depending on the chosen parameters, the fractional diffusion model exhibits a very rich behavior of the residence time distribution with different characteristic time regimes. Moreover, the corresponding autocorrelation function of conductance fluctuations displays nontrivial power law features. Our theoretical model is in good agreement with experimental data for large conductance potassium ion channels.

Animals↗

Relaxation time scales in collective dynamics of liquid alkali metals.

In this paper the investigation of the dynamical processes of liquid alkali metals is executed by analyzing the time scales of relaxation processes in liquids. The obtained theoretical dynamic structure factor S(k,omega) for the case of liquid lithium is found to be in excellent agreement with the recently received inelastic x-ray scattering data. The comparison and interrelation with other theories are given here. Finally, an important part of this paper is the confirmation of the scale uniformity of the dynamic processes in liquid alkali metals predicted by some previous molecular dynamic simulation studies.

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Vibrational effects in laser-driven molecular wires.

The influence of an electron-vibrational coupling on the laser control of electron transport through a molecular wire that is attached to several electronic leads is investigated. These molecular vibrational modes induce an effective electron-electron interaction. In the regime where the wire electrons couple weakly to both the external leads and the vibrational modes, we derive within a Hartree-Fock approximation a nonlinear set of quantum kinetic equations. The quantum kinetic theory is then used to evaluate the laser driven, time-averaged electron current through the wire-leads contacts. This formalism is applied to two archetypical situations in the presence of electron-vibrational effects, namely, (i) the generation of a ratchet or pump current in a symmetrical molecule by a harmonic mixing field and (ii) the laser switching of the current through the molecule.

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Firing time statistics for driven neuron models: analytic expressions versus numerics.

Analytical expressions are put forward to investigate the forced spiking activity of abstract neuron models such as the driven leaky integrate-and-fire model. The method is valid in a wide parameter regime beyond the restraining limits of weak driving (linear response) and/or weak noise. The novel approximation is based on a discrete state Markovian modeling of the full long-time dynamics with time-dependent rates. The scheme yields excellent agreement with numerical Langevin and Fokker-Planck simulations of the full nonstationary dynamics, not only for the first-passage time statistics, but also for the important interspike interval (residence time) distribution.

Electric Stimulation↗

Stochastic resonance in biological nonlinear evolution models.

We investigate stochastic resonance in the nonlinear, one-dimensional Fisher-Eigen model (FEM), which represents an archetypal model for biological evolution based on a global coupling scheme. In doing so we consider different periodically driven fitness functions which govern the evolution of a biological phenotype population. For the case of a simple harmonic fitness function we are able to derive the exact analytic solution for the asymptotic probability density. A distinct feature of this solution is a phase lag between the driving signal and the linear response of the system. Furthermore, for more complex systems a general perturbation theory (linear response approximation) is put forward. Using the latter approach, we investigate stochastic resonance in terms of the spectral amplification measure for a quadratic, a quartic single-peaked, and for a bistable fitness function. Our analytical results are also compared with those of detailed numerical simulations. Our findings vindicate that stochastic resonance does occur in these nonlinear, globally coupled biological systems.

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Theory of non-Markovian stochastic resonance.

We consider a two-state model of non-Markovian stochastic resonance (SR) within the framework of the theory of renewal processes. Residence time intervals are assumed to be mutually independent and characterized by some arbitrary nonexponential residence time distributions which are modulated in time by an externally applied signal. Making use of a stochastic path integral approach we obtain general integral equations governing the evolution of conditional probabilities in the presence of an input signal. These equations generalize earlier integral renewal equations by Cox and others to the case of driving-induced nonstationarity. On the basis of these equations a response theory of two-state renewal processes is formulated beyond the linear response approximation. Moreover, a general expression for the linear response function is derived. The connection of the developed approach with the phenomenological theory of linear response for manifest non-Markovian SR put forward [I. Goychuk and P. Hänggi, Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 070601 (2003)] is clarified and its range of validity is scrutinized. The theory is then applied to SR in symmetric non-Markovian systems and to the class of single ion channels possessing a fractal kinetics.

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Subthreshold stochastic resonance: rectangular signals can cause anomalous large gains.

The main objective of this work is to explore aspects of stochastic resonance (SR) in noisy bistable, symmetric systems driven by subthreshold periodic rectangular external signals possessing a large duty cycle of unity. Using a precise numerical solution of the Langevin equation, we carry out a detailed analysis of the behavior of the first two cumulant averages, the correlation function, and its coherent and incoherent parts. We also depict the nonmonotonic behavior versus the noise strength of several SR quantifiers such as the average output amplitude, i.e., the spectral amplification, the signal-to-noise ratio, and the SR gain. In particular, we find that with subthreshold amplitudes and for an appropriate duration of the pulses of the driving force, the phenomenon of stochastic resonance is accompanied by SR gains exceeding unity. This analysis thus sheds light on the interplay between nonlinearity and the nonlinear response, which in turn yields nontrivial unexpected SR gains above unity.

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Two-state theory of nonlinear stochastic resonance.

An amenable, analytical two-state description of the nonlinear population dynamics of a noisy bistable system driven by a rectangular subthreshold signal is put forward. Explicit expressions for the driven population dynamics, the correlation function (its coherent and incoherent parts), the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and the stochastic resonance (SR) gain are obtained. Within a suitably chosen range of parameter values this reduced description yields anomalous SR gains exceeding unity and, simultaneously, gives rise to a nonmonotonic behavior of the SNR vs the noise strength. The analytical results agree well with those obtained from numerical solutions of the Langevin equation.

Nonlinear Dynamics↗

Diffusion time-scale invariance, randomization processes, and memory effects in Lennard-Jones liquids.

We report the results of calculation of diffusion coefficients for Lennard-Jones liquids, based on the idea of time-scale invariance of relaxation processes in liquids. The results were compared with the molecular dynamics data for the Lennard-Jones system and a good agreement of our theory with these data over a wide range of densities and temperatures was obtained. By calculations of the non-Markovity parameter we have numerically estimated statistical memory effects of diffusion in detail.

Journal Article↗

Non-Markovian stochastic resonance.

The phenomenological linear response theory of non-Markovian stochastic resonance (SR) is put forward for stationary two-state renewal processes. In terms of a derivation of a non-Markov regression theorem we evaluate the characteristic SR-quantifiers; i.e., the spectral power amplification (SPA) and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), respectively. In clear contrast to Markovian-SR, a characteristic benchmark of genuine non-Markovian SR is its distinctive dependence of the SPA and SNR on small (adiabatic) driving frequencies; particularly, the adiabatic SNR becomes strongly suppressed over its Markovian counterpart. This non-Markovian SR-theory is elucidated for a fractal gating dynamics of a potassium ion channel possessing an infinite variance of closed sojourn times.

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Current noise in ac-driven nanoscale conductors.

The theory for current fluctuations in ac-driven transport through nanoscale systems is put forward. By use of a generalized, non-Hermitian Floquet theory we derive novel explicit expressions for the time-averaged current and the zero-frequency component of the power spectrum of current fluctuations. A distinct suppression of both the zero-frequency noise and the dc current occurs for suitably tailored ac fields. The relative level of transport noise, being characterized by a Fano factor, can selectively be manipulated by ac sources; in particular, it exhibits both characteristic maxima and minima near current suppression.

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Gain in stochastic resonance: precise numerics versus linear response theory beyond the two-mode approximation.

In the context of the phenomenon of stochastic resonance (SR), we study the correlation function, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and the ratio of output over input SNR, i.e., the gain, which is associated to the nonlinear response of a bistable system driven by time-periodic forces and white Gaussian noise. These quantifiers for SR are evaluated using the techniques of linear response theory (LRT) beyond the usually employed two-mode approximation scheme. We analytically demonstrate within such an extended LRT description that the gain can indeed not exceed unity. We implement an efficient algorithm, based on work by Greenside and Helfand (detailed in the Appendix), to integrate the driven Langevin equation over a wide range of parameter values. The predictions of LRT are carefully tested against the results obtained from numerical solutions of the corresponding Langevin equation over a wide range of parameter values. We further present an accurate procedure to evaluate the distinct contributions of the coherent and incoherent parts of the correlation function to the SNR and the gain. As a main result we show for subthreshold driving that both the correlation function and the SNR can deviate substantially from the predictions of LRT and yet the gain can be either larger or smaller than unity. In particular, we find that the gain can exceed unity in the strongly nonlinear regime which is characterized by weak noise and very slow multifrequency subthreshold input signals with a small duty cycle. This latter result is in agreement with recent analog simulation results by Gingl et al. [ICNF 2001, edited by G. Bosman (World Scientific, Singapore, 2002), pp. 545-548; Fluct. Noise Lett. 1, L181 (2001)].

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Frequency and phase synchronization in stochastic systems.

The phenomenon of frequency and phase synchronization in stochastic systems requires a revision of concepts originally phrased in the context of purely deterministic systems. Various definitions of an instantaneous phase are presented and compared with each other with special attention paid to their robustness with respect to noise. We review the results of an analytic approach describing noise-induced phase synchronization in a thermal two-state system. In this context exact expressions for the mean frequency and the phase diffusivity are obtained that together determine the average length of locking episodes. A recently proposed method to quantify frequency synchronization in noisy potential systems is presented and exemplified by applying it to the periodically driven noisy harmonic oscillator. Since this method is based on a threshold crossing rate pioneered by Rice the related phase velocity is termed the Rice frequency. Finally, we discuss the relation between the phenomenon of stochastic resonance and noise-enhanced phase coherence by applying the developed concepts to the periodically driven bistable Kramers oscillator.

Models, Theoretical↗

Paradoxical motion of a single Brownian particle: absolute negative mobility.

We consider a single, classical Brownian particle in a spatially symmetric periodic system far from thermal equilibrium, which can be readily realized experimentally. Upon application of an external static force F, the average particle velocity is negative for F>0 and positive for F<0 (absolute negative mobility). The various physical mechanisms responsible for such a paradoxical effect are identified, leading to analytical approximations that are in good agreement with numerical simulations.

Journal Article↗

Molecular wires acting as coherent quantum ratchets.

The effect of laser fields on electron transport through a molecular wire weakly coupled to two leads is investigated. The molecular wire acts as a coherent quantum ratchet if the molecule is composed of periodically arranged, asymmetric chemical groups. This setup presents a quantum rectifier with a finite dc response in the absence of a static bias. The nonlinear current is evaluated in closed form within the Floquet basis of the isolated, driven wire. The current response reveals multiple current reversals together with a nonlinear dependence on the amplitude and the frequency of the laser field. The current saturates for long wires at a nonzero value, while it may change sign upon decreasing its length.

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Oscillatory systems driven by noise: frequency and phase synchronization.

The phenomenon of effective phase synchronization in stochastic oscillatory systems can be quantified by an average frequency and a phase diffusion coefficient. A different approach to compute the noise-averaged frequency is put forward. The method is based on a threshold crossing rate pioneered by Rice. After the introduction of the Rice frequency for noisy systems we compare this quantifier with those obtained in the context of other phase concepts, such as the natural and the Hilbert phase, respectively. It is demonstrated that the average Rice frequency R typically supersedes the Hilbert frequency H, i.e. R > or = H. We investigate next the Rice frequency for the harmonic and the damped, bistable Kramers oscillator, both without and with external periodic driving. Exact and approximative analytic results are corroborated by numerical simulation results. Our results complement and extend previous findings for the case of noise-driven inertial systems.

Journal Article↗

Brownian motion exhibiting absolute negative mobility.

We consider a single Brownian particle in a spatially symmetric, periodic system far from thermal equilibrium. This setup can be readily realized experimentally. Upon application of an external static force F, the average particle velocity is negative for F>0 and positive for F<0 (absolute negative mobility).

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