Modeling Single-File Diffusion by Step Fractional Brownian Motion and Generalized Fractional Langevin Equation

Single-file diffusion behaves as normal diffusion at small time and as anomalous subdiffusion at large time. These properties can be described by fractional Brownian motion with variable Hurst exponent or multifractional Brownian motion. We introduce a new stochastic process called Riemann-Liouville step fractional Brownian motion which can be regarded as a special case of multifractional Brownian motion with step function type of Hurst exponent tailored for single-file diffusion. Such a step fractional Brownian motion can be obtained as solution of fractional Langevin equation with zero damping. Various types of fractional Langevin equations and their generalizations are then considered to decide whether their solutions provide the correct description of the long and short time behaviors of single-file diffusion. The cases where dissipative memory kernel is a Dirac delta function, a power-law function, and a combination of both of these functions, are studied in detail. In addition to the case where the short time behavior of single-file diffusion behaves as normal diffusion, we also consider the possibility of the process that begins as ballistic motion.