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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lawley, Sean D
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.09841
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author Lawley, Sean D
author_facet Lawley, Sean D
contents Diffusion-influenced reactions in the presence of gates which randomly open and close have been studied for decades in a variety of biophysical and biochemical scenarios. The diffusive flux from a large bulk reservoir to the end of a narrow tube with a stochastically gated entrance has been previously estimated. In this paper, we extend this gated flux estimate to be valid if (i) the tube is not necessarily narrow and/or (ii) the diffusivity differs in the tube versus the bulk. Extension (i) is challenging because it entails a nontrivial three-dimensional geometry. Extension (ii) is challenging because it introduces multiplicative noise. We derive an explicit flux estimate formula and prove that it is exact in certain parameter regimes. We further use stochastic simulations to show that the estimate remains accurate across a very broad range of parameters. Our results differ from prior work on extensions (i) and (ii).
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_09841
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Diffusive flux into a stochastically gated tube
Lawley, Sean D
Statistical Mechanics
Analysis of PDEs
Probability
60J60, 35Q84, 60H10
Diffusion-influenced reactions in the presence of gates which randomly open and close have been studied for decades in a variety of biophysical and biochemical scenarios. The diffusive flux from a large bulk reservoir to the end of a narrow tube with a stochastically gated entrance has been previously estimated. In this paper, we extend this gated flux estimate to be valid if (i) the tube is not necessarily narrow and/or (ii) the diffusivity differs in the tube versus the bulk. Extension (i) is challenging because it entails a nontrivial three-dimensional geometry. Extension (ii) is challenging because it introduces multiplicative noise. We derive an explicit flux estimate formula and prove that it is exact in certain parameter regimes. We further use stochastic simulations to show that the estimate remains accurate across a very broad range of parameters. Our results differ from prior work on extensions (i) and (ii).
title Diffusive flux into a stochastically gated tube
topic Statistical Mechanics
Analysis of PDEs
Probability
60J60, 35Q84, 60H10
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.09841