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Active Matter

There is increasing interest in the field of science where a collection of interacting particles are self-mobile or self-propelled. These systems can be considered as their own class of matter, and have become known as active matter systems. Examples of active matter systems include swimming bacteria, self-propelled colloids, biological motors, swimming fish, flocking birds, pedestrian flow, and traffic flow. Such systems exhibit a wealth of phenomena that are not found in equilibrium systems. In our group we have been studying models of active matter for self-driven particle systems with steric interactions between themselves, as well as interactions with some kind of substrate such as arrays with obstacles, walls, or funnel geometries. The active matter systems themselves can be modelled as particles which undergo run-and-tumble motion or driven diffusion along with steric ineractions with other particles. Other models include flocking of Vicsek-type systems. The above figure shows an example of run-and-tumble particles moving between walls arranged in a Casimir-type geometry, pushing them together due to population depletion between the walls.

Papers:

  1. Active microheology in active matter systems: mobility, intermittency and avalanches
    C. Reichhardt and C.J. Olson Reichhardt
    Phys. Rev. E 91 032313 (2015).
    Online version

  2. Confined Active Matter
    C. Reichhardt and C.J. Olson Reichhardt
    Journal Club for Condensed Matter Physics (2014).
    Online version

  3. Absorbing phase transitions and dynamic freezing in running active matter systems
    C. Reichhardt and C.J. Olson Reichhardt
    Soft Matter 10 094502 (2014).
    Online version

  4. Casimir effect in active matter systems
    D. Ray, C. Reichhardt, and C.J. Olson Reichhardt
    Phys. Rev. E 90, 013019 (2014).
    Online version

  5. Active matter transport and jamming on disordered landscapes
    C. Reichhardt and C.J Olson Reichhardt
    Phys. Rev. E 90, 012701 (2014).
    Online version

  6. Active matter ratchets with external drift
    C. Reichhardt and C.J. Olson Reichhardt
    Phys. Rev. E 88, 062310 (2013).
    Online version

  7. Dynamics and separation of circularly moving partilces in asymmetric patterned arrays
    C. Reichhardt and C.J. Olson Reichhardt
    Phys. Rev. E 88, 042306 (2013).
    Online version

  8. Bidirectional sorting of flocking particles in the presence of asymmetric barriers
    J.A. Drocco, C.J. Olson Reichhardt, and C. Reichhardt
    Phys. Rev. E 85, 056102 (2012).
    Online version

  9. Dynamical freezing of active matter
    C. Reichhardt and C.J. Olson Reichhardt
    PNAS 108, 19099 (2011).

  10. Rectification of swimming bacteria and self driven particle systems by arrays of asymmetric barriers
    M.B. Wan, C.J. Olson Reichhardt, Z. Nussinov and C. Reichhardt
    Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 18102 (2018).
    Online version

Collaborators

Zohar Nussinov (Washington University)

Jeff Drocco (LLNL)

Dipanjan Ray (LANL)

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Last Modified: 5/21/15