Rotational hot Brownian motion

Abstract

We establish an effective Markov theory for the rotational Brownian motion of hot nanobeads and nanorods. Compact analytical expressions for the effective temperature and friction are derived from the fluctuating hydrodynamic equations of motion. They are verified by comparison with recent measurements and with GPU powered parallel molecular dynamics simulations over a wide temperature range. This provides unique insights into the physics of hot Brownian motion and an excellent starting point for further experimental tests and applications involving laser-heated nanobeads, nanorods and Janus particles.