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Intermittency and clustering in a system of self-driven particles
Cristián Huepe1, Maximino Aldana
1Department of Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA. cristian@northwestern.edu
Physical Review Letters
|June 1, 2004
Summary
Intermittent bursts disrupt ordered motion in self-driven interacting particle systems. Cluster dynamics and particle exchange drive this intermittent behavior, following statistical power laws.
Area of Science:
- Complex systems
- Statistical physics
- Non-equilibrium systems
Background:
- Self-driven interacting particle systems exhibit ordered phases.
- These systems can display intermittent behavior, deviating from order.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the intermittent behavior in self-driven interacting particle systems.
- To analytically determine the statistical properties of intermittency.
Main Methods:
- Analytical characterization of intermittency in a two-particle system.
- Study of cluster statistics in large systems.
- Power-law distribution analysis for cluster sizes and transition probabilities.
Main Results:
- Intermittent bursts temporarily disrupt the ordered phase.
- Particles aggregate into clusters that are crucial for intermittent dynamics.
- Cluster sizes and inter-cluster transition probabilities follow power-law distributions.
Conclusions:
- The intermittent dynamics are driven by cluster formation and particle exchange.
- The system's behavior, including particle exchange, satisfies detailed balance.
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