Anomalous dynamics of intruders in a crowded environment of mobile obstacles

Tatjana Sentjabrskaja, Emanuela Zaccarelli (), Cristiano De Michele, Francesco Sciortino, Piero Tartaglia, Thomas Voigtmann, Stefan U. Egelhaaf and Marco Laurati ()
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Tatjana Sentjabrskaja: Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, Heinrich Heine University
Emanuela Zaccarelli: CNR-ISC, Università di Roma ‘La Sapienza’
Cristiano De Michele: CNR-ISC, Università di Roma ‘La Sapienza’
Francesco Sciortino: CNR-ISC, Università di Roma ‘La Sapienza’
Piero Tartaglia: Università di Roma ‘La Sapienza’
Thomas Voigtmann: Institut für Materialphysik im Weltraum, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)
Stefan U. Egelhaaf: Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, Heinrich Heine University
Marco Laurati: Condensed Matter Physics Laboratory, Heinrich Heine University

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Many natural and industrial processes rely on constrained transport, such as proteins moving through cells, particles confined in nanocomposite materials or gels, individuals in highly dense collectives and vehicular traffic conditions. These are examples of motion through crowded environments, in which the host matrix may retain some glass-like dynamics. Here we investigate constrained transport in a colloidal model system, in which dilute small spheres move in a slowly rearranging, glassy matrix of large spheres. Using confocal differential dynamic microscopy and simulations, here we discover a critical size asymmetry, at which anomalous collective transport of the small particles appears, manifested as a logarithmic decay of the density autocorrelation functions. We demonstrate that the matrix mobility is central for the observed anomalous behaviour. These results, crucially depending on size-induced dynamic asymmetry, are of relevance for a wide range of phenomena ranging from glassy systems to cell biology.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11133

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