TITLE:
Temperature Fluctuations in a Rectangular Nanochannel
AUTHORS:
José A. Fornés
KEYWORDS:
Nanochannels, Temperature Fluctuations, Random Heat Flow, Thermal Relaxation, Temporal and Spatial Correlations
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biomaterials and Nanobiotechnology,
Vol.6 No.3,
May
27,
2015
ABSTRACT: We consider an incompressible fluid in a rectangular nanochannel. We solve numerically the three
dimensional Fourier heat equation to get the steady solution for the temperature. Then we set and
solve the Langevin equation for the temperature. We have developed equations in order to determine
relaxation time of the temperature fluctuations, τT = 4.62 × 10-10s. We have performed a
spectral analysis of the thermal fluctuations, with the result that temporal correlations are in the
one-digit ps range, and the thermal noise excites the thermal modes in the two-digit GHz range.
Also we observe long-range spatial correlation up to more than half the size of the cell, 600 nm;
the wave number, q, is in the 106 m-1 range. We have also determined two thermal relaxation
lengths in the z direction: l1 = 1.18 nm and l2 = 9.86 nm.