Surface diffusion in narrow channels on curved domains.

Abstract

We study the transport properties of diffusing particles restricted to confined regions on curved surfaces. We relate particle mobility to the curvature of the surface where they diffuse and the constraint due to confinement. Applying the Fick-Jacobs procedure to diffusion in curved manifolds shows that the local diffusion coefficient is related to average geometric quantities such as constriction and tortuosity. Macroscopic experiments can record such quantities through an average surface diffusion coefficient. We test the accuracy of our theoretical predictions of the effective diffusion coefficient through finite-element numerical solutions of the Laplace-Beltrami diffusion equation. We discuss how this work contributes to understanding the link between particle trajectories and the mean-square displacement.