Orientation-Dependent Propulsion of Active Brownian Spheres: From Self- Advection to Programmable Cluster Shapes

S Bröker and J Bickmann and M te Vrugt and ME Cates and R Wittkowski, PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS, 131, 168203 (2023).

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.168203

Applications of active particles require a method for controlling their dynamics. While this is typically achieved via direct interventions, indirect interventions based, e.g., on an orientation-dependent self -propulsion speed of the particles, become increasingly popular. In this Letter, we investigate systems of interacting active Brownian spheres in two spatial dimensions with orientation-dependent propulsion using analytical modeling and Brownian dynamics simulations. It is found that the orientation dependence leads to self-advection, circulating currents, and programmable cluster shapes.

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