Dynamical density functional theory analysis of the laning instability in sheared soft matter

TL;DR

This paper uses dynamical density functional theory to analyze the laning instability in sheared colloidal suspensions, identifying conditions for lane formation driven by non-affine particle motion.

Contribution

It introduces a DDFT framework that includes non-affine motion to predict laning transitions in soft matter under shear.

Findings

Identifies parameter regions where laning occurs.

Demonstrates the approach on soft penetrable particles.

Provides a linear stability analysis for laning transition.

Abstract

Using dynamical density functional theory (DDFT) methods we investigate the laning instability of a sheared colloidal suspension. The nonequilibrium ordering at the laning transition is driven by non-affine particle motion arising from interparticle interactions. Starting from a DDFT which incorporates the non-affine motion, we perform a linear stability analysis that enables identification of the regions of parameter space where lanes form. We illustrate our general approach by applying it to a simple one-component fluid of soft penetrable particles.