Single-file diffusion of interacting particles in a one-dimensional channel

Abstract

Molecular diffusion in unidimensional channel structures (single-file diffusion) is important to understand the behavior of, e.g., colloidal particles in porous materials (zeolites) and superconducting vortices in 1-dimensional (1D) channels. Here the diffusion of charged massive particles in a 1D channel is investigated using the Langevin Dynamics (LD) simulations. We analyze different regimes based on the hierarchy of the interactions and damping mechanisms in the system and we show that, contrary to previous findings, single-file diffusion depends on the inter-particle interaction and could be suppressed if the interaction is strong enough displaying a subdiffusive behavior slower than t1/2, in agreement with recent experimental observations in colloids and charged metallic balls.