Inertia Drives a Flocking Phase Transition in Viscous Active Fluids
Rayan Chatterjee, Navdeep Rana, R. Aditi Simha, Prasad Perlekar, Sriram Ramaswamy
Abstract
The motion of an ensemble of self-propelled swimmers has three fates---turbulent, noisy but ordered, and coordinated---depending on how their speed relates to the growth of viscous instabilities in the group.
Topics & Concepts
Flocking (texture)InertiaActive matterPhysicsMechanicsClassical mechanicsViscous liquidPhase transitionMotion (physics)Inertial frame of referencePhase (matter)Viscous dampingStatistical physicsControl theory (sociology)Perturbation (astronomy)Materials scienceTwo-phase flowRigidity (electromagnetism)Micro and Nano RoboticsFluid Dynamics and Thin FilmsBiomimetic flight and propulsion mechanisms