title: Dynamics of field-driven population inversion in a confined colloidal mixture.
abstract: We study, using Langevin dynamics simulations, the change in composition of a binary colloidal mixture confined in a finite-length channel, induced by an external field. The field-induced transition from a near-bulk composition to an inverted population is studied as a function of time, for different field strengths and system parameters. For state points corresponding to reversible field cycles, the cyclic filling and emptying of the channel by the minority species are compared. Extrapolation of the physical relaxation times to the colloidal regime is performed through a series of simulations at increasing value of the damping parameter. For state points at which the mixture is unstable at zero field, reproducible irreversible cycles are illustrated. For reversible field cycles, the scaling with the particles size of the characteristic cycling time is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Physique des Liquides et Milieux Complexes, Faculté des Sciences et Technologie, Université Paris-Est (Créteil), 61 Avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil Cedex, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Center for Extreme Matter and Emergent Phenomena, Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Samin
authors.affiliation: Institute for Computational Physics, Universität Stuttgart, Allmandring 3, 70569 Stuttgart Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Holm
authors.affiliation: Physique des Liquides et Milieux Complexes, Faculté des Sciences et Technologie, Université Paris-Est (Créteil), 61 Avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil Cedex, France.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Malherbe
authors.affiliation: Physique des Liquides et Milieux Complexes, Faculté des Sciences et Technologie, Université Paris-Est (Créteil), 61 Avenue du Général de Gaulle, 94010 Créteil Cedex, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amokrane