Trapping of an active Brownian particle at a partially absorbing wall
arXiv:2302.09105 · doi:10.1098/rspa.2023.0086
Abstract
Active matter concerns the self-organization of energy consuming elements such as motile bacteria or self-propelled colloids. A canonical example is an active Brownian particle (ABP) that moves at constant speed while its direction of motion undergoes rotational diffusion. When ABPs are confined within a channel, they tend to accumulate at the channel walls, even when inter-particle interactions are ignored. Each particle pushes on the boundary until a tumble event reverses its direction. The wall thus acts as a sticky boundary. In this paper we consider a natural extension of sticky boundaries that allows for a particle to be permanently killed (absorbed) whilst attached to a wall. In particular, we investigate the first passage time (FPT) problem for an ABP in a two-dimensional channel where one of the walls is partially absorbing. Calculating the exact FPT statistics requires solving a non-trivial two-way diffusion boundary value problem (BVP). We follow a different approach by separating out the dynamics away from the absorbing wall from the dynamics of absorption and escape whilst attached to the wall. Using probabilistic methods, we derive an explicit expression for the MFPT of absorption, assuming that the arrival statistics of particles at the wall are known. Our method also allows us to incorporate a more general encounter-based model of absorption.
arXiv comment28 pages, 7 figures
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Cited by in corpus (4)
- Asymptotic analysis and simulation of mean first passage time for active Brownian particles in 1-D
- Close encounters of the sticky kind: Brownian motion at absorbing boundaries
- Two-Dimensional Active Brownian Particles Crossing a Parabolic Barrier: Transition-Path Times, Survival Probability, and First-Passage Time
- Two-Dimensional Active Brownian Particles Crossing a Parabolic Barrier: Finite Rectangular Domain with Absorbing Boundary Conditions