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Collective Behavior of Quorum-Sensing Run-and-Tumble Particles under Confinement
Markus Rein1, Nike Heinß1, Friederike Schmid1
1Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7-9, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
Abstract:
We study a generic model for quorum-sensing bacteria in circular confinement. Every bacterium produces signaling molecules, the local concentration of which triggers a response when a certain threshold is reached. If this response lowers the motility, then an aggregation of bacteria occurs which differs fundamentally from standard motility-induced phase separation due to the long-ranged nature of the concentration of signal molecules. We analyze this phenomenon analytically and by numerical simulations employing two different protocols leading to stationary cluster and ring morphologies, respectively.
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