2018/09/27 by Jianyong Mo, Mark G. Raizen · 45 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics #Brownian motion #Classical mechanics #Mechanics #Non-equilibrium thermodynamics #Particle Dynamics in Fluid Flows #Physics #Quantum mechanics #Statistical physics #Thermodynamics #nanoparticles nucleation surface interactions
paper · doi:10.1146/annurev-fluid-010518-040527
published in Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics 51(1), 403-428 (Annual Reviews)
openalex publication_date 2018/09/27 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Since the discovery of Brownian motion in bulk fluids by Robert Brown in 1827 , Brownian motion at long timescales has been extensively studied both theoretically and experimentally for over a century. The theory for short-timescale Brownian motion was also well established in the last century, while experimental studies were not accessible until this decade. This article reviews experimental progress on short-timescale Brownian motion and related applications. The ability to measure instantaneous velocity enables new fundamental tests of statistical mechanics of Brownian particles, such as the Maxwell–Boltzmann velocity distribution and the energy equipartition theorem. In addition, Brownian particles can be used as probes to study boundary effects imposed by a solid wall, wettability at solid–fluid interfaces, and viscoelasticity. We propose future studies of fluid compressibility and nonequilibrium physics using short-duration pulsed lasers. Lastly, we also propose that an optically trapped particle can serve as a new testing ground for nucleation in a supersaturated vapor or a supercooled liquid.