Avalanche dynamics for active matter in heterogeneous media
Using numerical simulations, we examine the dynamics of run-and-tumble disks moving in a disordered array of fixed obstacles. As a function of increasing active disk density and activity, we find a transition from a completely clogged state to a continuous flowing phase, and in the large activity limit, we observe an intermittent state where the motion occurs in avalanches that are power law distributed in size with an exponent of $$\beta =1.46$$. In contrast, in the thermal or low activity limit we find bursts of motion that are not broadly distributed in size. We argue that in the highly active regime, the system reaches a self-jamming state due to the activity-induced self-clustering, and that the intermittent dynamics is similar to that found in the yielding of amorphous solids. Our results show that activity is another route by which particulate systems can be tuned to a nonequilibrium critical state.
[1]- Publication Date:
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-17-28410
Journal ID: ISSN 1367-2630
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC52-06NA25396
- Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- New Journal of Physics
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 20; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 1367-2630
- Publisher:
- IOP Publishing
- Research Org:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Org:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; Material Science
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1437808
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1430008