Collective dynamics of dipolar and multipolar colloids: from passive to active systems

TL;DR

This review discusses recent advances in understanding the collective dynamics of dipolar and multipolar colloids, emphasizing theoretical and simulation insights into their out-of-equilibrium behaviors and pattern formation.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of dynamical phenomena in dipolar and multipolar colloids, highlighting recent theoretical and simulation studies on active and passive systems.

Findings

Enhanced understanding of relaxation dynamics in dipolar networks

Insights into pattern formation in active colloids

Role of external fields in controlling colloidal behavior

Abstract

This article reviews recent research on the collective dynamical behavior of colloids with dipolar or multipolar interactions. Indeed, whereas equilibrium structures and static self-assembly of such systems are now rather well understood, the past years have seen an explosion of interest in understanding dynamicals aspects, from the relaxation dynamics of strongly correlated dipolar networks over systems driven by time-dependent, electric or magnetic fields, to pattern formation and dynamical control of active, self-propelled systems. Unraveling the underlying mechanisms is crucial for a deeper understanding of self-assembly in and out of equilibrium and the use of such particles as functional devices. At the same time, the complex dynamics of dipolar colloids poses challenging physical questions and puts forward their role as model systems for nonlinear behavior in condensed matter physics. Here we attempt to give an overview of these developments, with an emphasis on theoretical and simulation studies.