The Anomalous Distributions and Soret Coefficient in a Nonequilibrium Colloidal System

Abstract

We study the density distribution and Soret coefficient in a nonequilibrium colloidal system by using the overdamped Langevin equation for Brownian motion in an inhomogeneous strong friction medium. Based on the relation between the temperature gradient, the interaction potential and the [Formula: see text]-parameter in nonextensive statistics, we show that the colloidal particle density can be a function of the temperature and anomalously follows the noted [Formula: see text]-distribution, or equivalently it can also be a function of the potential energy following Tsallis distribution. With the [Formula: see text]-parameter we can establish a new formula of Soret coefficient and thus, bridge the gap between the ideally theoretical Soret coefficient and available experiments.