Death of linear response and field-induced dispersion in subdiffusion

Abstract

We discuss the response of continuous time random walks to an oscillating external field within the generalized master equation approach. We concentrate on the time dependence of the two first moments of the walker's displacements. We show that for power law waiting time distributions with 0 < alpha < 1 corresponding to a semi-Markovian situation showing nonstationarity the mean particle position tends to a constant, and the response to the external perturbation dies out. On the other hand, the oscillating field leads to a new additional contribution to the dispersion of the particle position, proportional to the square of its amplitude and growing with time. These new effects, amenable to experimental observation, result directly from the non-stationary property of the system.