Collective dynamics and pair-distribution function of active Brownian ellipsoids

TL;DR

This paper explores the collective behavior of active Brownian ellipsoids, revealing complex states like clustering and flocking, and provides a detailed pair-distribution function to aid theoretical modeling.

Contribution

It offers the first comprehensive state diagram for active Brownian ellipsoids and introduces an analytical pair-distribution function for these particles.

Findings

Rich state behavior including clustering and flocking

Numerical and analytical pair-distribution functions provided

Dependence of states on Péclet number and density

Abstract

While the collective dynamics of spherical active Brownian particles is relatively well understood by now, the much more complex dynamics of nonspherical active particles still raises interesting open questions. Previous work has shown that the dynamics of rod-like or ellipsoidal active particles can differ significantly from that of spherical ones. Here, we obtain the full state diagram of active Brownian ellipsoids depending on the P\'eclet number and packing density via computer simulations. The system is found to exhibit a rich state behavior that includes cluster formation, local polar order, polar flocks, and disordered states. Moreover, we obtain numerical results and an analytical representation for the pair-distribution function of active ellipsoids. This function provides useful quantitative insights into the collective behavior of active particles with lower symmetry and has potential applications in the development of predictive theoretical models.