Speaker
Ralf Metzler
(TU München)
Description
In 1905 Einstein formulated the laws of diffusion, and in
1908 Perrin
published his Nobel-prize winning studies determining
Avogadro's number
from diffusion measurements. With similar, more refined
techniques
the diffusion behaviour in complex systems such as the
motion of tracer
particles in living biological cells is nowadays measured
with high
precision. Often the diffusion turns out to deviate from
Einstein's laws.
This talk will discuss the basic mechanisms leading to such
anomalous
diffusion as well as point out its consequences. In
particular the
unconventional behaviour of non-ergodic, ageing systems will
be discussed.
Indeed, non-ergodic diffusion in living cells has recently
been demonstrated experimentally.
