Dynamics of colloidal suspensions

  

Even though almost a hundred years have passed since the pioneeering works of Einstein and Smoluchowski, the theory of suspensions of interacting Brownian particles is still a challenge. The analysis of Brownian suspensions is hindered by complicated nature of interparticle interactions which include direct forces such as Coulomb or van der Waals as well as indirect interactions mediated by the solvent. These so-called hydrodynamic interactions are truly complex: they are long ranged, nonlinear in nature, and cannot be expressed as a sum of two-body terms. Their presence makes the problem both interesting and difficult.
 

movies:

butterfly.mpg
Hydrodynamic interactions in action: a periodic trajectory of three sedimenting spheres chasing each other with a delay of one third of a period (center of mass frame)

 

 

scarab.mpg
The same in the rest frame of the particle 1
 

In collaboration with

 

Relevant publications

  
  • M. L. Ekiel-Jeżewska, T. Gubiec, P. Szymczak, Stokesian dynamics of close particles, Phys. Fluids, 20, 063102, 2008 [pdf]
  • P. Szymczak, B. Cichocki, Diagrammatic approach to response problems in composite systems, J. Stat. Mech., P01025, 2008 [pdf]
  • N. Lecoq, R. Anthore, B. Cichocki, P. Szymczak, & F. Feuillebois, Drag force on a sphere moving towards a corrugated wall, J. Fluid Mech., 513 , 247, 2004 [pdf]
  • P. Szymczak, B. Cichocki, Memory effects in collective dynamics of Brownian suspensions, J. Chem. Phys., 121, 3329, 2004 [pdf]
  • E. Wajnryb, P. Szymczak, B. Cichocki, Brownian dynamics: divergence of mobility tensor, Physica A, 335, 339, 2004 [pdf]
  • P. Szymczak, B. Cichocki, Memory function for collective diffusion of interacting Brownian particles, Europhys. Lett., 59, 465, 2002 [pdf]
  • B. Cichocki, M. L. Ekiel-Jezewska, P. Szymczak, E. Wajnryb, Three-particle contribution to sedimentation and collective diffusion in hard-sphere suspensions, J. Chem. Phys., 117, 1231, 2002 [pdf]