Berlin 2005 – scientific programme

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SYBM: Brownian Motion, Diffusion and Beyond

SYBM 1: SYBM

SYBM 1.4: Invited Talk

Tuesday, March 8, 2005, 12:00–12:30, TU HE101

Colloidal Suspensions as Brownian Computers — •Clemens Bechinger — Universität Stuttgart

Frequently, the understanding of complex physical or biological situations requires intricate numerical simulations. An alternative approach is the application of colloidal suspensions, i.e. mesoscopic particles which are suspended in liquids. Since colloids are driven by the Brownian motion and thus rapidly sample their accessible configurational space they can be regarded as Brownian computers. We present two examples where the versatile use of colloidal systems is demonstrated: the first one is on the experimental realization of a recently proposed ratchet cellular automaton which is suggested as an alternative element in future computing devices. Secondly, we demonstrate the strain induced domain formation in two-dimensional colloidal suspensions on triangular substrates.