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Author Spotlight: Advancing Cell Membrane Biophysics - Exploring Interactions and Challenges Through Experimental and Computational Approaches

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Active Brownian particles in external force fields: Field-theoretical models, generalized barometric law, and

Jens Bickmann¹, Stephan Bröker¹, Michael Te Vrugt¹

¹Institut für Theoretische Physik, Center for Soft Nanoscience, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany.

Physical Review. E

|November 18, 2023

Summary

External forces like gravity and harmonic traps can control active Brownian particles. These forces enable programmable density patterns and phase separation in particle systems.

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Area of Science:

Physics
Soft Matter Physics
Statistical Mechanics

Background:

Active Brownian particles (ABPs) exhibit complex collective behaviors.
Understanding the impact of external fields on ABPs is crucial for controlling their dynamics.
Existing models often lack direct links between parameters and system properties.

Purpose of the Study:

To derive predictive models for interacting ABPs under external forces.
To investigate the effects of gravity and harmonic traps on ABP collective dynamics.
To establish methods for controlling ABP self-organization and phase behavior.

Main Methods:

Explicit coarse-graining to derive predictive models.
Analytical treatment of models under gravity and harmonic potentials.
Comparison of theoretical predictions with Brownian dynamics simulations.

Main Results:

A generalized barometric formula for ABPs under gravity, valid across concentration and activity ranges.
Demonstration that harmonic traps can induce motility-induced phase separation in homogeneous systems.
Development of models applicable to space- and time-dependent external force fields.

Conclusions:

Predictive models offer direct relationships between model coefficients and system parameters.
External forces provide a powerful tool for programming density patterns in ABP systems.
The derived models and findings are validated by Brownian dynamics simulations.