A perfect probe: Resonance of underdamped scaled Brownian motion

Abstract

Abstract We numerically investigate the resonance of the underdamped scaled Brownian motion in a bistable system for both cases of a single particle and interacting particles. Through the velocity autocorrelation function (VACF) and mean squared displacement (MSD) of a single particle, we find that for the steady state, diffusions are ballistic at short times and then become normal for most of parameter regimes. However, for certain parameter regimes, both VACF and MSD suggest that the transition between superdiffusion and subdiffusion takes place at intermediate times, and diffusion becomes normal at long times. Via the power spectrum density corresponding to the transitions, we find that there exists a nontrivial resonance. For interacting particles, we find that the interaction between the probe particle and other particles can lead to the resonance, too. Thus we theoretically propose the system with the Brownian particle as a probe, which can detect the temperature of the system and identify the number of the particles or the types of different coupling strengths in the system. The probe is potentially useful for detecting microscopic and nanometer-scale particles and for identifying cancer cells or healthy ones.