Diffusion dynamics in branched spherical structure

Diffusion on a spherical surface with trapping is a common phenomenon in cell biology and porous systems.In this paper,we study the diffusion dynamics in a branched spherical structure and explore the influence of the geometry of the structure on the diffusion process.The process is a spherical movement that occurs only for a fixed radius and is interspersed with a radial motion inward and outward the sphere.Two scenarios govern the transport process in the spherical cavity:free diffusion and diffusion under external velocity.The diffusion dynamics is described by using the concepts of probability density function(PDF)and mean square displacement(MSD)by Fokker–Planck equation in a spherical coordinate system.The effects of dead ends,sphere curvature,and velocity on PDF and MSD are analyzed numerically in detail.We find a transient non-Gaussian distribution and sub-diffusion regime governing the angular dynamics.The results show that the diffusion dynamics strengthens as the curvature of the spherical surface increases and an external force is exerted in the same direction of the motion.

Anomalous diffusion in branched elliptical structure

Diffusion in narrow curved channels with dead-ends as in extracellular space in the biological tissues,e.g.,brain,tumors,muscles,etc.is a geometrically induced complex diffusion and is relevant to different kinds of biological,physical,and chemical systems.In this paper,we study the effects of geometry and confinement on the diffusion process in an elliptical comb-like structure and analyze its statistical properties.The ellipse domain whose boundary has the polar equationρ(θ)=b/√1−e^(2)cos^(2)θ with 0<e<1,θ∈[0,2π],and b as a constant,can be obtained through stretched radius r such that Υ=rρ(θ)with r∈[0,1].We suppose that,for fixed radius r=R,an elliptical motion takes place and is interspersed with a radial motion inward and outward of the ellipse.The probability distribution function(PDF)in the structure and the marginal PDF and mean square displacement(MSD)along the backbone are obtained numerically.The results show that a transient sub-diffusion behavior dominates the process for a time followed by a saturating state.The sub-diffusion regime and saturation threshold are affected by the length of the elliptical channel lateral branch and its curvature.