title: Dissipation in a finite-size bath.
abstract: We investigate the interaction of a particle with a finite-size bath represented by a set of independent linear oscillators with frequencies that fall within a finite bandwidth. We discover that when the oscillators have particular frequency distributions, the finite-size bath behaves much as an infinite-size bath exhibiting dissipation properties and thus allowing irreversible energy absorption from a particle immersed in it. We also present a reinterpretation of the Langevin equation using a perturbation approach in which the small parameter represents the inverse of the number of oscillators in the bath, elucidating the relationship between finite-size and infinite-size bath responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Rome La Sapienza, I-00184 Rome, Italy. a.carcaterra@dma.ing.uniroma1.it
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carcaterra
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akay
mesh_terms: D006358:Hot Temperature; D015233:Models, Statistical; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009991:Oscillometry / Q000379:methods; D010316:Particle Size; D010825:Physics / Q000379:methods*; D011336:Probability