Experimentation on stochastic trajectories: from Brownian motion to inertial confined dynamics

Azul María Brigante; Corina Révora; Gabriel Fernando Volonnino; Marcos Damián Perez; Gabriela Pasquini; María Gabriela Capeluto

arXiv · 2312.01208

Experimentation on stochastic trajectories: from Brownian motion to inertial confined dynamics

Azul María Brigante·Corina Révora·Gabriel Fernando Volonnino·Marcos Damián Perez·Gabriela Pasquini·María Gabriela Capeluto

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Abstract

Statistical physics courses typically employ abstract language that describes objects too small to be seen, making the topic challenging for students to understand. In this work, we introduce a simple experiment that allows conceptualizing some of the underlying ideas of stochastic processes through direct experimentation. Students analyze stochastic trajectories of beads in a bouncing bed of smaller beads subjected to an external periodic drive. The analysis of the trajectories involves the application of a vast tool kit of statistical estimators that are useful in many fields of physics.

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Azul María Brigante, Corina Révora, Gabriel Fernando Volonnino, Marcos Damián Perez, Gabriela Pasquini, María Gabriela Capeluto. 2023-12-02. Experimentation on stochastic trajectories: from Brownian motion to inertial confined dynamics. https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.01208

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