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Collective behavior of active Brownian particles: From microscopic clustering to macroscopic phase separation

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Abstract

A pedagogical introduction to the analytical treatment of the collective behavior of active (self-propelled) Brownian particles with short-ranged interactions is presented. The treatment is based on established concepts from the theories of simple liquids and pattern formation. It is shown how microscopic clustering due to self-blocking of directed particle motion leads to macroscopic phase separation described by effective equilibrium concepts holding on length scales larger than the persistence length of the direction motion.

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  1. Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7-9, 55128, Mainz, Germany

    Thomas Speck

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  1. Thomas Speck
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Correspondence to Thomas Speck.

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Speck, T. Collective behavior of active Brownian particles: From microscopic clustering to macroscopic phase separation. Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 225, 2287–2299 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2016-60022-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2016-60022-8

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