A Lattice-Boltzmann model for suspensions of self-propelling colloidal particles

We present a Lattice-Boltzmann method for simulating self-propelling (active) colloidal particles in two dimensions. Active particles with symmetric and asymmetric force distribution on their surface are considered. The velocity field generated by a single active particle, changing its orientation randomly, and the different time scales involved are characterized in detail. The steady-state speed distribution in the fluid, resulting from the activity, is shown to deviate considerably from the equilibrium distribution.     

Kinetic theory of point vortices in two dimensions: analytical results and numerical simulations

We develop the kinetic theory of point vortices in two-dimensional hydrodynamics and illustrate the main results of the theory with numerical simulations. We first consider the evolution of the system “as a whole” and show that the evolution of the vorticity profile is due to resonances between different orbits of the point vortices. The evolution stops when the profile of angular velocity becomes monotonic even if the system has not reached the statistical equilibrium state (Boltzmann distribution). In that case, the system remains blocked in a quasi stationary state with a non standard distribution. We also study the relaxation of a test vortex in a steady bath of field vortices. The relaxation of the test vortex is described by a Fokker-Planck equation involving a diffusion term and a drift term. The diffusion coefficient, which is proportional to the density of field vortices and inversely proportional to the shear, usually decreases rapidly with the distance. The drift is proportional to the gradient of the density profile of the field vortices and is connected to the diffusion coefficient by a generalized Einstein relation. We study the evolution of the tail of the distribution function of the test vortex and show that it has a front structure. We also study how the temporal auto-correlation function of the position of the test vortex decreases with time and find that it usually exhibits an algebraic behavior with an exponent that we compute analytically. We mention analogies with other systems with long-range interactions.     

Penetration depth anisotropy in d-density wave scenario

We discuss thermalization of a test particle schematized as a harmonic oscillator and coupled to a Boltzmann heat bath of finite size and with a finite bandwidth for the frequencies of its particles. We find that complete thermalization only occurs when the test particle frequency is within a certain range of the bath particle frequencies, and for a certain range of mass ratios between the test particle and the bath particles. These results have implications for the study of classical and quantum behaviour of high-frequency nanomechanical resonators.     

Approach to a Stationary State in an External Field

We study relaxation towards a stationary out-of-equilibrium state by analyzing a one-dimensional stochastic process followed by a particle accelerated by an external field and propagating through a thermal bath. The effect of collisions is described within one-dimensional formulation of Boltzmann’s kinetic theory. We present analytical solutions for the Maxwell gas and for the very hard particle model. The exponentially fast relaxation of the velocity distribution towards the stationary form is demonstrated. In the reference frame moving with constant drift velocity the hydrodynamic diffusive mode is shown to govern the distribution in the position space. We show that the exact value of the diffusion coefficient for any value of the field is correctly predicted by the Green-Kubo autocorrelation formula generalized to the stationary state.     

Statistics of the gravitational force in various dimensions of space: from Gaussian to Lévy laws

We discuss the distribution of the gravitational force created by a Poissonian distribution of field sources (stars, galaxies,...) in different dimensions of space d. In d = 3, when the particle number N →+∞, it is given by a Lévy law called the Holtsmark distribution. It presents an algebraic tail for large fluctuations due to the contribution of the nearest neighbor. In d = 2, for large but finite values of N, it is given by a marginal Gaussian distribution intermediate between Gaussian and Lévy laws. It presents a Gaussian core and an algebraic tail. In d = 1, it is exactly given by the Bernouilli distribution (for any particle number N) which becomes Gaussian for N ≫ 1. Therefore, the dimension d = 2 is critical regarding the statistics of the gravitational force. We generalize these results for inhomogeneous systems with arbitrary power-law density profile and arbitrary power-law force in a d-dimensional universe.     

Kinetic theory of long-range interacting systems with angle–action variables and collective effects

We develop a kinetic theory of systems with long-range interactions taking collective effects and spatial inhomogeneity into account. Starting from the Klimontovich equation and using a quasilinear approximation, we derive a Lenard–Balescu-type kinetic equation written in angle–action variables. We confirm the result obtained by Heyvaerts [Heyvaerts, Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 407, 355 (2010)] who started from the Liouville equation and used the BBGKY hierarchy truncated at the level of the two-body distribution function (i.e., neglecting three-body correlations). When collective effects are ignored, we recover the Landau-type kinetic equation obtained in our previous papers [P.H. Chavanis, Physica A 377, 469 (2007); J. Stat. Mech., P05019 (2010)]. We also consider the relaxation of a test particle in a bath of field particles. Its stochastic motion is described by a Fokker–Planck equation written in angle–action variables. We determine the diffusion tensor and the friction force by explicitly calculating the first and second order moments of the increment of action of the test particle from its equations of motion, taking collective effects into account. This generalizes the expressions obtained in our previous works. We discuss the scaling with N$N$ of the relaxation time for the system as a whole and for a test particle in a bath.     

Osmotic propulsion: the osmotic motor

A model for self-propulsion of a colloidal particle--the osmotic motor--immersed in a dispersion of "bath" particles is presented. The nonequilibrium concentration of bath particles induced by a surface chemical reaction creates an osmotic pressure imbalance on the motor causing it to move. The ratio of the speed of reaction to that of diffusion governs the bath particle distribution which is employed to calculate the driving force on the motor, and from which the self-induced osmotic velocity is determined. For slow reactions, the self-propulsion is proportional to the reaction velocity. When surface reaction dominates over diffusion the osmotic velocity cannot exceed the diffusive speed of the bath particles. Implications of these features for different bath particle volume fractions and motor sizes are discussed. Theoretical predictions are compared with Brownian dynamics simulations.     

瓮模型中多粒子动力学的研究

研究了处于热库中的多颗粒在两个和多个瓮中的运动.通过求解含噪声项的一维朗之万方程,获得颗粒的位置和速度,并分析了其运动状态.研究发现，在高温下系统处于对称态的时间较长,反之系统将会出现多个定态.所有运动颗粒的速率分布都满足Gauss分布,非对称态的有效温度T₂与弹性恢复系数r有良好的指数关系. 关键词： 多颗粒 多瓮 速率分布 有效温度     

Field Induced Stationary State for an Accelerated Tracer in a Bath

Our interest goes to the behavior of a tracer particle, accelerated by a constant and uniform external field, when the energy injected by the field is redistributed through collision to a bath of unaccelerated particles. A non equilibrium steady state is thereby reached. Solutions of a generalized Boltzmann-Lorentz equation are analyzed analytically, in a versatile framework that embeds the majority of tracer-bath interactions discussed in the literature. These results??mostly derived for a one dimensional system??are successfully confronted to those of three independent numerical simulation methods: a direct iterative solution, Gillespie algorithm, and the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo technique. We work out the diffusion properties as well as the velocity tails: large v, and either large ?v, or v in the vicinity of its lower cutoff whenever the velocity distribution is bounded from below. Particular emphasis is put on the cold bath limit, with scatterers at rest, which plays a special role in our model.     

Stable Equilibrium Based on Lévy Statistics:A Linear Boltzmann Equation Approach

To obtain further insight on possible power law generalizations of Boltzmann equilibrium concepts, we consider stochastic collision models. The models are a generalization of the Rayleigh collision model, for a heavy one dimensional particle M interacting with ideal gas particles with a mass m<<M. Similar to previous approaches we assume elastic, uncorrelated, and impulsive collisions. We let the bath particle velocity distribution function to be of general form, namely we do not postulate a specific form of power-law equilibrium. We show, under certain conditions, that the velocity distribution function of the heavy particle is Lévy stable, the Maxwellian distribution being a special case. We demonstrate our results with numerical examples. The relation of the power law equilibrium obtained here to thermodynamics is discussed. In particular we compare between two models: a thermodynamic and an energy scaling approaches. These models yield insight into questions like the meaning of temperature for power law equilibrium, and into the issue of the universality of the equilibrium (i.e., is the width of the generalized Maxwellian distribution functions obtained here, independent of coupling constant to the bath).     

Influence of wall motion on particle sedimentation using hybrid LB-IBM scheme

We integrate the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and immersed boundary method (IBM) to capture the coupling between a rigid boundary surface and the hydrodynamic response of an enclosed particle laden fluid. We focus on a rigid box filled with a Newtonian fluid where the drag force based on the slip velocity at the wall and settling particles induces the interaction. We impose an external harmonic oscillation on the system boundary and found interesting results in the sedimentation behavior. Our results reveal that the sedimentation and particle locations are sensitive to the boundary walls oscillation amplitude and the subsequent changes on the enclosed flow field. Two different particle distribution analyses were performed and showed the presence of an agglomerate structure of particles. Despite the increase in the amplitude of wall motion, the turbulence level of the flow field and distribution of particles are found to be less in quantity compared to the stationary walls. The integrated LBM-IBM methodology promised the prospect of an efficient and accurate dynamic coupling between a non-compliant bounding surface and flow field in a wide-range of systems. Understanding the dynamics of the fluid-filled box can be particularly important in a simulation of particle deposition within biological systems and other engineering applications.     

Experimental investigation of particle velocity distributions in windblown sand movement

With the PDPA (Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer) measurement technology, the probability distributions of particle impact and lift-off velocities on bed surface and the particle velocity distributions at different heights are detected in a wind tunnel. The results show that the probability distribution of impact and lift-off velocities of sand grains can be expressed by a log-normal function, and that of impact and lift-off angles complies with an exponential function. The mean impact angle is between 28° and 39°, and the mean lift-off angle ranges from 30° to 44°. The mean lift-off velocity is 0.81–0.9 times the mean impact velocity. The proportion of backward-impacting particles is 0.05–0.11, and that of backward-entrained particles ranges from 0.04 to 0.13. The probability distribution of particle horizontal velocity at 4 mm height is positive skew, the horizontal velocity of particles at 20 mm height varies widely, and the variation of the particle horizontal velocity at 80 mm height is less than that at 20 mm height. The probability distribution of particle vertical velocity at different heights can be described as a normal function. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10532030) and the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. G2000048702)     

Relaxation of ideal classical particles in a one‐dimensional box

We study the deterministic dynamics of non‐interacting classical gas particles confined to a one‐dimensional box as a pedagogical toy model for the relaxation of the Boltzmann distribution towards equilibrium. Hard container walls alone induce a uniform distribution of the gas particles at large times. For the relaxation of the velocity distribution we model the dynamical walls by independent scatterers. The Markov property guarantees a stationary but not necessarily thermal velocity distribution for the gas particles at large times. We identify the conditions for physical walls where the stationary velocity distribution is the Maxwell distribution. For our numerical simulation we represent the wall particles by independent harmonic oscillators. The corresponding dynamical map for oscillators with a fixed phase (Fermi–Ulam accelerator) is chaotic for mesoscopic box dimensions.     

Study of the one-dimensional periodic polaron structures

One-dimensional and quasi one-dimensional electron structures are of applied interest. For example, in one-dimensional (nano-capillary) electroneutral metal–ammonia systems, exotic electron properties are observed, such as a drastic (by several orders of magnitude) drop of the electrical conductivity with decreasing temperature, which resembles the superconductivity transition. In this work, we studied the possibility of one-dimensional filamentary polaron nano-structure in insulating media. It was established that the interpolaron pair potential for large polarons offers attraction properties. It is known that attraction between the particles may alter the collective properties of a many-particle system. We demonstrated that the initially uniform distribution of the particles becomes unstable in one-dimensional systems and may change to the nonuniform structured state under specific conditions imposed on the temperature, particle concentration, and parameters of the pair interpolaron potential. The possibility of existence of a periodic one-dimensional structure of small-amplitude polarons that is imposed on the polaron uniform distribution is estimated in terms of temperature and concentration criteria. A dispersion relation between existence of the one-dimensional polaron structure and translational velocity of the polarons is found. The upper limit of the translational velocity when the periodic contribution to the distribution vanishes is determined. Periodic contribution disappears virtually stepwise as the velocity approaches its critical value. It is shown that this specific polaron–polaron interaction leads to results that are in principal different from those observed for classical Coulomb electron interaction.     

Macroscopic and mesoscopic matter waves

It has been shown earlier [3,6] that matter waves which are known to lie typically in the range of a few angstrom, can also manifest in the macrodomain with a wave length of a few centimeters, for electrons propagating along a magnetic field. This followed from the predictions of a probability amplitude theory by the author [1,2] in the classical macrodomain of the dynamics of charged particles in a magnetic field. It is shown in this paper that this case constitutes only a special case of a generic situation whereby composite systems such as atoms and molecules in their highly excited internal states, can exhibit matter wave manifestation in macro and mesodomains, in one-dimensional scattering. The wave length of these waves is determined, not by the mass of the particle as in the case of the de Broglie wave, but by the frequency ω, of the classical orbital motion of the internal state in the correspondence limit, and is given by a nonquantal expression, λ = 2πv/ω, v being the velocity of the particle. For the electrons in a magnetic field the frequency corresponds to the gyrofrequency, Ω and the nonquantal wave length is given by λ = 2πv _|| /Ω; v _|| being the velocity of electrons along the magnetic field. Received 29 September 2001 / Received in final form 23 May 2002 Published online 19 July 2002     

Brownian motion in a classical ideal gas: A microscopic approach to Langevin’s equation

We present an insightful ‘derivation’ of the Langevin equation and the fluctuation dissipation theorem in the specific context of a heavier particle moving through an ideal gas of much lighter particles. The Newton’s law of motion (mx = F) for the heavy particle reduces to a Langevin equation (valid on a coarser time-scale) with the assumption that the lighter gas particles follow a Boltzmann velocity distribution. Starting from the kinematics of the random collisions we show that (1) the average force 〈F〉 ∞ −x and (2) the correlation function of the fluctuating forceη = F — 〈F〉 is related to the strength of the average force. Deceased     

Suspension and fall of heavy particles in random two-dimensional flow

We investigate the settling of heavy particles in a steady, two-dimensional random velocity field, and find instances in which particle suspension occurs. This leads to a bimodal velocity distribution that may explain some apparently conflicting results reported in the literature. The bimodal distribution is typically smeared out by a time dependence of the ambient flow but, if the time variation is slow, the settling rates of some particles will be as well. The resulting broadbanded velocity distribution of the settling particles will have significance for processes such as rain drop formation, in which the spread of particle velocities affects the statistics of particle collisions.     

The effects of time delay on the decline and propagation processes of population in the Malthus-Verhulst model with cross-correlated noises

This contribution presents a derivation of the steady-state distribution of velocities and distances of driven particles on a onedimensional periodic ring, using a Fokker-Planck formalism. We will compare two different situations: (i) symmetrical interaction forces fulfilling Newton’s law of “actio = reactio” and (ii) asymmetric, forwardly directed interactions as, for example in vehicular traffic. Surprisingly, the steady-state velocity and distance distributions for asymmetric interactions and driving terms agree with the equilibrium distributions of classical many-particle systems with symmetrical interactions, if the system is large enough. This analytical result is confirmed by computer simulations and establishes the possibility of approximating the steady state statistics in driven many-particle systems by Hamiltonian systems. Our finding is also useful to understand the various departure time distributions of queueing systems as a possible effect of interactions among the elements in the respective queue [Physica A 363, 62 (2006)].     

Cluster formation, pressure and density measurements in a granular medium fluidized by vibrations

We report experimental results on the behavior of an ensemble of inelastically colliding particles, excited by a vibrated piston in a vertical cylinder. When the particle number is increased, we observe a transition from a regime where the particles have erratic motions (“granular gas”) to a collective behavior where all the particles bounce like a nearly solid body. In the gas-like regime, we measure the density of particles as a function of the altitude and the pressure as a function of the number N of particles. The atmosphere is found to be exponential far enough from the piston, and the “granular temperature”, T, dependence on the piston velocity, V, is of the form , where is a decreasing function of N. This may explain previous conflicting numerical results. Received 1 February 1999