TY - JOUR A1 - Sposini, Vittoria A1 - Grebenkov, Denis S. A1 - Metzler, Ralf A1 - Oshanin, Gleb A1 - Seno, Flavio T1 - Universal spectral features of different classes of random-diffusivity processes JF - New Journal of Physics N2 - Stochastic models based on random diffusivities, such as the diffusing-diffusivity approach, are popular concepts for the description of non-Gaussian diffusion in heterogeneous media. Studies of these models typically focus on the moments and the displacement probability density function. Here we develop the complementary power spectral description for a broad class of random-diffusivity processes. In our approach we cater for typical single particle tracking data in which a small number of trajectories with finite duration are garnered. Apart from the diffusing-diffusivity model we study a range of previously unconsidered random-diffusivity processes, for which we obtain exact forms of the probability density function. These new processes are different versions of jump processes as well as functionals of Brownian motion. The resulting behaviour subtly depends on the specific model details. Thus, the central part of the probability density function may be Gaussian or non-Gaussian, and the tails may assume Gaussian, exponential, log-normal, or even power-law forms. For all these models we derive analytically the moment-generating function for the single-trajectory power spectral density. We establish the generic 1/f²-scaling of the power spectral density as function of frequency in all cases. Moreover, we establish the probability density for the amplitudes of the random power spectral density of individual trajectories. The latter functions reflect the very specific properties of the different random-diffusivity models considered here. Our exact results are in excellent agreement with extensive numerical simulations. KW - diffusion KW - power spectrum KW - random diffusivity KW - single trajectories Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ab9200 SN - 1367-2630 VL - 22 IS - 6 PB - Dt. Physikalische Ges. CY - Bad Honnef ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wang, Wei A1 - Seno, Flavio A1 - Sokolov, Igor M. A1 - Chechkin, Aleksei V. A1 - Metzler, Ralf T1 - Unexpected crossovers in correlated random-diffusivity processes JF - New Journal of Physics N2 - The passive and active motion of micron-sized tracer particles in crowded liquids and inside living biological cells is ubiquitously characterised by 'viscoelastic' anomalous diffusion, in which the increments of the motion feature long-ranged negative and positive correlations. While viscoelastic anomalous diffusion is typically modelled by a Gaussian process with correlated increments, so-called fractional Gaussian noise, an increasing number of systems are reported, in which viscoelastic anomalous diffusion is paired with non-Gaussian displacement distributions. Following recent advances in Brownian yet non-Gaussian diffusion we here introduce and discuss several possible versions of random-diffusivity models with long-ranged correlations. While all these models show a crossover from non-Gaussian to Gaussian distributions beyond some correlation time, their mean squared displacements exhibit strikingly different behaviours: depending on the model crossovers from anomalous to normal diffusion are observed, as well as a priori unexpected dependencies of the effective diffusion coefficient on the correlation exponent. Our observations of the non-universality of random-diffusivity viscoelastic anomalous diffusion are important for the analysis of experiments and a better understanding of the physical origins of 'viscoelastic yet non-Gaussian' diffusion. KW - diffusion KW - anomalous diffusion KW - non-Gaussianity KW - fractional Brownian motion Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aba390 SN - 1367-2630 VL - 22 PB - Dt. Physikalische Ges. CY - Bad Honnef ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cherstvy, Andrey G. A1 - Vinod, Deepak A1 - Aghion, Erez A1 - Chechkin, Aleksei V. A1 - Metzler, Ralf T1 - Time averaging, ageing and delay analysis of financial time series JF - New journal of physics N2 - We introduce three strategies for the analysis of financial time series based on time averaged observables. These comprise the time averaged mean squared displacement (MSD) as well as the ageing and delay time methods for varying fractions of the financial time series. We explore these concepts via statistical analysis of historic time series for several Dow Jones Industrial indices for the period from the 1960s to 2015. Remarkably, we discover a simple universal law for the delay time averaged MSD. The observed features of the financial time series dynamics agree well with our analytical results for the time averaged measurables for geometric Brownian motion, underlying the famed Black–Scholes–Merton model. The concepts we promote here are shown to be useful for financial data analysis and enable one to unveil new universal features of stock market dynamics. KW - time averaging KW - diffusion KW - geometric Brownian motion KW - financial time series Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aa7199 SN - 1367-2630 VL - 19 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - IOP CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cherstvy, Andrey G. A1 - Vinod, Deepak A1 - Aghion, Erez A1 - Chechkin, Aleksei V. A1 - Metzler, Ralf T1 - Time averaging, ageing and delay analysis of financial time series JF - New journal of physics : the open-access journal for physics N2 - We introduce three strategies for the analysis of financial time series based on time averaged observables. These comprise the time averaged mean squared displacement (MSD) as well as the ageing and delay time methods for varying fractions of the financial time series. We explore these concepts via statistical analysis of historic time series for several Dow Jones Industrial indices for the period from the 1960s to 2015. Remarkably, we discover a simple universal law for the delay time averaged MSD. The observed features of the financial time series dynamics agree well with our analytical results for the time averaged measurables for geometric Brownian motion, underlying the famed Black-Scholes-Merton model. The concepts we promote here are shown to be useful for financial data analysis and enable one to unveil new universal features of stock market dynamics. KW - time averaging KW - diffusion KW - geometric Brownian motion KW - financial time series Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/aa7199 SN - 1367-2630 VL - 19 SP - 135 EP - 147 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Xu, Pengbo A1 - Zhou, Tian A1 - Metzler, Ralf A1 - Deng, Weihua T1 - Stochastic harmonic trapping of a Lévy walk BT - transport and first-passage dynamics under soft resetting strategies JF - New journal of physics : the open-access journal for physics / Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft ; IOP, Institute of Physics N2 - We introduce and study a Lévy walk (LW) model of particle spreading with a finite propagation speed combined with soft resets, stochastically occurring periods in which an harmonic external potential is switched on and forces the particle towards a specific position. Soft resets avoid instantaneous relocation of particles that in certain physical settings may be considered unphysical. Moreover, soft resets do not have a specific resetting point but lead the particle towards a resetting point by a restoring Hookean force. Depending on the exact choice for the LW waiting time density and the probability density of the periods when the harmonic potential is switched on, we demonstrate a rich emerging response behaviour including ballistic motion and superdiffusion. When the confinement periods of the soft-reset events are dominant, we observe a particle localisation with an associated non-equilibrium steady state. In this case the stationary particle probability density function turns out to acquire multimodal states. Our derivations are based on Markov chain ideas and LWs with multiple internal states, an approach that may be useful and flexible for the investigation of other generalised random walks with soft and hard resets. The spreading efficiency of soft-rest LWs is characterised by the first-passage time statistic. KW - diffusion KW - anomalous diffusion KW - stochastic resetting KW - Levy walks Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ac5282 SN - 1367-2630 VL - 24 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 28 PB - Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft CY - Bad Honnef ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Palyulin, Vladimir V. A1 - Chechkin, Aleksei V. A1 - Metzler, Ralf T1 - Space-fractional Fokker-Planck equation and optimization of random search processes in the presence of an external bias JF - Journal of statistical mechanics: theory and experiment N2 - Based on the space-fractional Fokker-Planck equation with a delta-sink term, we study the efficiency of random search processes based on Levy flights with power-law distributed jump lengths in the presence of an external drift, for instance, an underwater current, an airflow, or simply the preference of the searcher based on prior experience. While Levy flights turn out to be efficient search processes when the target is upstream relative to the starting point, in the downstream scenario, regular Brownian motion turns out to be advantageous. This is caused by the occurrence of leapovers of Levy flights, due to which Levy flights typically overshoot a point or small interval. Studying the solution of the fractional Fokker-Planck equation, we establish criteria when the combination of the external stream and the initial distance between the starting point and the target favours Levy flights over the regular Brownian search. Contrary to the common belief that Levy flights with a Levy index alpha = 1 (i.e. Cauchy flights) are optimal for sparse targets, we find that the optimal value for alpha may range in the entire interval (1, 2) and explicitly include Brownian motion as the most efficient search strategy overall. KW - driven diffusive systems (theory) KW - fluctuations (theory) KW - stochastic processes (theory) KW - diffusion Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-5468/2014/11/P11031 SN - 1742-5468 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sposini, Vittoria A1 - Metzler, Ralf A1 - Oshanin, Gleb T1 - Single-trajectory spectral analysis of scaled Brownian motion JF - New Journal of Physics N2 - Astandard approach to study time-dependent stochastic processes is the power spectral density (PSD), an ensemble-averaged property defined as the Fourier transform of the autocorrelation function of the process in the asymptotic limit of long observation times, T → ∞. In many experimental situations one is able to garner only relatively few stochastic time series of finite T, such that practically neither an ensemble average nor the asymptotic limit T → ∞ can be achieved. To accommodate for a meaningful analysis of such finite-length data we here develop the framework of single-trajectory spectral analysis for one of the standard models of anomalous diffusion, scaled Brownian motion.Wedemonstrate that the frequency dependence of the single-trajectory PSD is exactly the same as for standard Brownian motion, which may lead one to the erroneous conclusion that the observed motion is normal-diffusive. However, a distinctive feature is shown to be provided by the explicit dependence on the measurement time T, and this ageing phenomenon can be used to deduce the anomalous diffusion exponent.Wealso compare our results to the single-trajectory PSD behaviour of another standard anomalous diffusion process, fractional Brownian motion, and work out the commonalities and differences. Our results represent an important step in establishing singletrajectory PSDs as an alternative (or complement) to analyses based on the time-averaged mean squared displacement. KW - diffusion KW - anomalous diffusion KW - power spectral analysis KW - single trajectory analysis Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ab2f52 SN - 1367-2630 VL - 21 PB - Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft ; IOP, Institute of Physics CY - Bad Honnef und London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Singh, Rishu Kumar A1 - Metzler, Ralf A1 - Sandev, Trifce T1 - Resetting dynamics in a confining potential JF - Journal of physics : A, Mathematical and theoretical N2 - We study Brownian motion in a confining potential under a constant-rate resetting to a reset position x(0). The relaxation of this system to the steady-state exhibits a dynamic phase transition, and is achieved in a light cone region which grows linearly with time. When an absorbing boundary is introduced, effecting a symmetry breaking of the system, we find that resetting aids the barrier escape only when the particle starts on the same side as the barrier with respect to the origin. We find that the optimal resetting rate exhibits a continuous phase transition with critical exponent of unity. Exact expressions are derived for the mean escape time, the second moment, and the coefficient of variation (CV). KW - diffusion KW - resetting KW - barrier escape KW - first-passage Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1751-8121/abc83a SN - 1751-8113 SN - 1751-8121 VL - 53 IS - 50 PB - IOP Publ. Ltd. CY - Bristol ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ślęzak, Jakub A1 - Burnecki, Krzysztof A1 - Metzler, Ralf T1 - Random coefficient autoregressive processes describe Brownian yet non-Gaussian diffusion in heterogeneous systems JF - New Journal of Physics N2 - Many studies on biological and soft matter systems report the joint presence of a linear mean-squared displacement and a non-Gaussian probability density exhibiting, for instance, exponential or stretched-Gaussian tails. This phenomenon is ascribed to the heterogeneity of the medium and is captured by random parameter models such as ‘superstatistics’ or ‘diffusing diffusivity’. Independently, scientists working in the area of time series analysis and statistics have studied a class of discrete-time processes with similar properties, namely, random coefficient autoregressive models. In this work we try to reconcile these two approaches and thus provide a bridge between physical stochastic processes and autoregressive models.Westart from the basic Langevin equation of motion with time-varying damping or diffusion coefficients and establish the link to random coefficient autoregressive processes. By exploring that link we gain access to efficient statistical methods which can help to identify data exhibiting Brownian yet non-Gaussian diffusion. KW - diffusion KW - Langevin equation KW - Brownian yet non-Gaussian diffusion KW - diffusing diffusivity KW - superstatistics KW - autoregressive models KW - time series analysis KW - codifference Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ab3366 SN - 1367-2630 VL - 21 PB - Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft ; IOP, Institute of Physics CY - Bad Honnef und London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Li, Yongge A1 - Mei, Ruoxing A1 - Xu, Yong A1 - Kurths, Jürgen A1 - Duan, Jinqiao A1 - Metzler, Ralf T1 - Particle dynamics and transport enhancement in a confined channel with position-dependent diffusivity JF - New Journal of Physics N2 - This work focuses on the dynamics of particles in a confined geometry with position-dependent diffusivity, where the confinement is modelled by a periodic channel consisting of unit cells connected by narrow passage ways. We consider three functional forms for the diffusivity, corresponding to the scenarios of a constant (D ₀), as well as a low (D ₘ) and a high (D d) mobility diffusion in cell centre of the longitudinally symmetric cells. Due to the interaction among the diffusivity, channel shape and external force, the system exhibits complex and interesting phenomena. By calculating the probability density function, mean velocity and mean first exit time with the Itô calculus form, we find that in the absence of external forces the diffusivity D d will redistribute particles near the channel wall, while the diffusivity D ₘ will trap them near the cell centre. The superposition of external forces will break their static distributions. Besides, our results demonstrate that for the diffusivity D d, a high dependence on the x coordinate (parallel with the central channel line) will improve the mean velocity of the particles. In contrast, for the diffusivity D ₘ, a weak dependence on the x coordinate will dramatically accelerate the moving speed. In addition, it shows that a large external force can weaken the influences of different diffusivities; inversely, for a small external force, the types of diffusivity affect significantly the particle dynamics. In practice, one can apply these results to achieve a prominent enhancement of the particle transport in two- or three-dimensional channels by modulating the local tracer diffusivity via an engineered gel of varying porosity or by adding a cold tube to cool down the diffusivity along the central line, which may be a relevant effect in engineering applications. Effects of different stochastic calculi in the evaluation of the underlying multiplicative stochastic equation for different physical scenarios are discussed. KW - diffusion KW - channel KW - space-dependent diffusivity Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/ab81b9 SN - 1367-2630 VL - 22 PB - Dt. Physikalische Ges. CY - Bad Honnef ER -