title: Nonlocality of relaxation rates in disordered landscapes.
abstract: We investigate both analytically and by numerical simulation the relaxation of an overdamped Brownian particle in a 1D multiwell potential. We show that the mean relaxation time from an injection point inside the well down to its bottom is dominated by statistically rare trajectories that sample the potential profile outside the well. As a consequence, also the hopping time between two degenerate wells can depend on the detailed multiwell structure of the entire potential. The nonlocal nature of the transitions between two states of a disordered landscape is important for the correct interpretation of the relaxation rates in complex chemical-physical systems, measured either through numerical simulations or experimental techniques.
authors.affiliation: Center for Phononics and Thermal Energy Science, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yunyun
authors.identifier: 0000000195586021
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Presidency University, Kolkata 700073, India.
authors.forename: Debajyoti
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Debnath
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Presidency University, Kolkata 700073, India.
authors.forename: Pulak K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.affiliation: Center for Phononics and Thermal Energy Science, School of Physics Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marchesoni