Velocity autocorrelation function of a Brownian particle

Abstract

In this article, we present molecular dynamics study of the velocity autocorrelation function (VACF) of a Brownian particle. We compare the results of the simulation with the exact analytic predictions for a compressible fluid from [T.S. Chow, J.J. Hermans, Physica 65, 156 (1973)] and an approximate result combining the predictions from hydrodynamics at short and long times. The physical quantities which determine the decay were determined from separate bulk simulations of the Lennard-Jones fluid at the same thermodynamic state point. We observe that the long-time regime of the VACF compares well the predictions from the macroscopic hydrodynamics, but the intermediate decay is sensitive to the viscoelastic nature of the solvent. © 2011 EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag.