We set out to construct an experimental system in which we control the fluctuations in the random motion of particles in a system. We subject colloidal particles to periodically applied random optical forces using holographic optical tweezers. As a result, the particles are pushed or pulled in random directions. We calculate the effective temperature (𝑇_eff) of the particles from their trajectories using the Stokes-Einstein relation. We find that 𝑇_eff depends non-monotonously on the frequency of switching of the optical landscape. We show that particles flow from high-temperature regions to low temperatures regions. A striking observation is that particles subjected to two regions with the same 𝑇_eff but differing in driving frequencies occupy both regions equally. This implies that in some way 𝑇_eff is a relevant thermodynamic function.
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