Active Brownian Particles Escaping a Channel in Single File

TL;DR

This paper investigates how active Brownian particles behave in narrow channels where they cannot overtake each other, revealing new collective behaviors and advantages in crossing channels compared to passive particles.

Contribution

It introduces a minimal model for active Brownian particles in Single File conditions, highlighting activity-induced clustering and the strategic advantage in channel crossing.

Findings

Active particles form merging and splitting clusters.

Activity enhances the ability to cross narrow channels.

Different behaviors depending on translational or rotational diffusion.

Abstract

Active particles may happen to be confined in channels so narrow that they cannot overtake each other (Single File conditions). This interesting situation reveals nontrivial physical features as a consequence of the strong inter-particle correlations developed in collective rearrangements. We consider a minimal model for active Brownian particles with the aim of studying the modifications introduced by activity with respect to the classical (passive) Single File picture. Depending on whether their motion is dominated by translational or rotational diffusion, we find that active Brownian particles in Single File may arrange into clusters which are continuously merging and splitting ({\it active clusters}) or merely reproduce passive-motion paradigms, respectively. We show that activity convey to self-propelled particles a strategic advantage for trespassing narrow channels against external biases (e.g., the gravitational field).