Large-scale collective properties of self-propelled rods.
We study, in two space dimensions, the collective properties of constant-speed polar point particles interacting locally by nematic alignment in the presence of noise. This minimal approach to self-propelled rods allows one to deal with large numbers of particles, which exhibit a rich phenomenology distinctively different from all other known models for self-propelled particles. Extensive simulations reveal long-range nematic order, phase separation, and space-time chaos mediated by large-scale segregated structures.
Ginelli
Francesco
F
Service de Physique de l'Etat Condensé, CEA-Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
Peruani
Fernando
F
Bär
Markus
M
Chaté
Hugues
H