Anomalous trapping: Effect of interaction between diffusing particles

We present the first study of the effect of interactions on phenomena associated with trapping of diffusing particles. Specifically, we consider a single trap and a two-component mixture of T and F particles where only the T particles can be trapped. We show that the trapping rate Q̇ is controlled by the ratio R=$c_F$/$c_T$ of the T and F concentrations, and satisfies the scaling law Q̇∼$R^2$f(${\mathrm{tR}}^4$). For t below a crossover value $t^{\times }$ (which scales as $R^{\mathrm{-}4}$), we recover the conventional result Q̇∼$t^{\mathrm{-}1/2}$. Above $t^{\times }$, we find new and anomalous behavior Q̇∼(1/R)$t^{\mathrm{-}3/4}$. .AE