Numerical simulation method for Brownian particles dispersed in incompressible fluids

Abstract

We present a numerical scheme for simulating the dynamics of Brownian particles suspended in a fluid. The motion of the particles is tracked by the Langevin equation, whereas the host fluid flow is analyzed by using the lattice Boltzmann method. The friction force between a particle and the fluid is evaluated correctly based on the velocity difference at the position of the particle. The coupling method accurately reproduces the long-time tail observed in the velocity auto-correlation function. We also show that the fluctuation-dissipation relation holds between the relaxation of a single particle and the velocity autocorrelation function of fluctuating particles.