Foundation of Fractional Langevin Equation: Harmonization of a Many Body Problem

Abstract

In this study we derive a single-particle equation of motion, from first-principles, starting out with a microscopic description of a tracer particle in a one-dimensional many-particle system with a general two-body interaction potential. Using a new harmonization technique, we show that the resulting dynamical equation belongs to the class of fractional Langevin equations, a stochastic framework which has been proposed in a large body of works as a means of describing anomalous dynamics. Our work sheds light on the fundamental assumptions of these phenomenological models.

8 pages, 2 figures, REVTeX, revised with 4 appendices added, to appear in Physical Review E.