Dynamics and rheology of active glasses
arXiv:1403.0928
Abstract
Within the framework of mode-coupling theory, we present a simple model for describing dense assemblies of active (self-propelled) spherical colloidal particles. For isotropic suspensions, we demonstrate that the glass transition is shifted to higher volume fraction by the addition of activity, in agreement with recent Brownian dynamics simulations. Activity-induced changes in the static structure factor of the fluid are predicted. The mechanical response of an active glass to applied strain is shown to be softer than the corresponding passive glass; both the nonergodicity parameter and the yield stress reduce with increasing activity.
5 pages, 6 figures; corrected version; submitted to PRL