Phase separation of active Brownian particles on curved surfaces

Abstract

The effect of curvature on an ensemble of repulsive active Brownian particles (ABPs) moving on a spherical surface is studied. Surface curvature strongly affects the dynamics of ABPs, as it introduces a new time scale $\tau =R/v_0$, with curvature radius $R$ and propulsion velocity $v_0$, in addition to the rotational diffusion time ${\tau }_r$. This implies that motility-induced phase separation (MIPS) disappears for small $R$. Furthermore, it causes a narrowing of the MIPS regime in the phase diagram of P{é}clet number $\text{Pe}$ and particle area fraction $\varphi$. Also, the phase-separation boundary at low $\varphi$ attains a turning point at small $R$, allowing for the possibility of a reentrant behavior. These results characterize the effect of curvature on ABP dynamics and MIPS, and will help to better understand the preferred occupation of certain niches by bacterial colonies in porous media.

6 pages, 4 figures

References in corpus (5)

• Motility-Induced Phase Separation
• Physics of Microswimmers - Single Particle Motion and Collective Behavior
• Swarm behavior of self-propelled rods and swimming flagella
• Active swarms on a sphere
• Motility-Induced Clustering and Meso-Scale Turbulence in Active Polar Fluids

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Interacting Streams of Cognitive Active Agents in a Three-Way Intersection
• Emergent clustering due to quorum sensing interactions in active matter
• Intrinsic Langevin dynamics of rigid inclusions on curved surfaces
• Motion of microswimmers in cylindrical microchannels
• Active Filaments on Curved Surfaces: From Single Filaments to Dilute Suspensions
• Curvature dependent dynamics of a bacterium confined in a giant unilamellar vesicle