Brownian yet non-Gaussian diffusion through equilibrium nonlinear friction

Abstract

In Brownian yet non-Gaussian diffusion (BnGD) the mean squared displacement grows linearly in time. However, the displacement statistics do not follow a normal distribution throughout. Typically, they are non-Gaussian at intermediate times, before they cross over to Gaussian in the long-time regime. We demonstrate that nonlinear friction under correctly applied stochastic equilibrium conditions provides an explanation of this phenomenon also for homogeneous environments.