title: Optimization of the residence time of a Brownian particle in a spherical subdomain.
abstract: In this communication, we show that the residence time of a Brownian particle, defined as the cumulative time spent in a given region of space, can be optimized as a function of the diffusion coefficient. We discuss the relevance of this effect to several schematic experimental situations classified in nature--random or deterministic--both of the observation time and of the starting position of the Brownian particle.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique Théorique de la Matière Condensée (UMR 7600), Case Courrier 121, UniversitéParis 6, 4 Place Jussieu, 75255 Paris Cedex, France. benichou@lptmc.jussieu.fr
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bénichou
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Voituriez