2013/12/27 by Thomas Speck, Julian Bialké, Andreas M. Menzel +1 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #cond-mat.soft #cond-mat.stat-mech
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.112.218304
published as Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 218304 (2014)
arxiv created 2013/12/27 · arxiv updated 2014/06/02
The kinetic separation of repulsive active Brownian particles into a dense and a dilute phase is analyzed using a systematic coarse-graining strategy. We derive an effective Cahn-Hilliard equation on large length and time scales, which implies that the separation process can be mapped onto that of passive particles. A lower density threshold for clustering is found, and using our approach we demonstrate that clustering first proceeds via a hysteretic nucleation scenario and above a higher threshold changes into a spinodal-like instability. Our results are in agreement with particle-resolved computer simulations and can be verified in experiments of artificial or biological microswimmers.