The fractal dimension of Brownian dynamics in liquids

Abstract

The classical Einstein-Langevin theory of Brownian motion assumes a memoryless thermal bath, establishing a universal fractal dimension of $d_v = 3/2$ for the velocity fluctuations of a particle. In this Letter, we demonstrate experimentally and theoretically that fluid-inertial memory effects fundamentally redefine the fractal scaling of these fluctuations. In analyzing highly resolved measurements of Brownian microspheres in liquids, we show that the non-Markovian hydrodynamic thermal noise establishes a distinct velocity fractal dimension of $d_v = 7/4$. Coupled with theoretical analysis of non-equilibrium short-time dynamics and the initial scaling of the velocity autocorrelation function, this result establishes the non-equilibrium universality class of Brownian motion in fluid media possessing a finite non-vanishing density.