Stability analysis for active Brownian particle models

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Zelati, Michele Coti, Ertzbischoff, Lucas, Gerard-Varet, David
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Zelati, Michele Coti
Ertzbischoff, Lucas
Gerard-Varet, David
author_facet Zelati, Michele Coti
Ertzbischoff, Lucas
Gerard-Varet, David
contents We carry out a comprehensive linear stability analysis of active Brownian particle systems around a constant homogeneous state. These scalar models, being important prototypes for the continuous description of active matter, are Fokker-Planck type equations in position-orientation and are known to exhibit motility-induced phase separation. We fully characterize the linear stability and instability regimes, with an explicit threshold depending on the effective speed of the particles. In this way, we rigorously confirm a conjecture on phase separation originating in the physics and applied literature. Our sharp and quantitative (in)stability results are valid both in the non-diffusive case and in the case of small angular diffusion. In the stable non-diffusive regime, we uncover a mixing mechanism reminiscent of Landau damping for the Vlasov equation, albeit with significantly weaker decay. This decay is non-integrable in time and gives rise to substantial mathematical difficulties; in particular, it prevents the use of classical perturbative arguments to treat the case of small angular diffusion.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_17649
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Stability analysis for active Brownian particle models
Zelati, Michele Coti
Ertzbischoff, Lucas
Gerard-Varet, David
Analysis of PDEs
We carry out a comprehensive linear stability analysis of active Brownian particle systems around a constant homogeneous state. These scalar models, being important prototypes for the continuous description of active matter, are Fokker-Planck type equations in position-orientation and are known to exhibit motility-induced phase separation. We fully characterize the linear stability and instability regimes, with an explicit threshold depending on the effective speed of the particles. In this way, we rigorously confirm a conjecture on phase separation originating in the physics and applied literature. Our sharp and quantitative (in)stability results are valid both in the non-diffusive case and in the case of small angular diffusion. In the stable non-diffusive regime, we uncover a mixing mechanism reminiscent of Landau damping for the Vlasov equation, albeit with significantly weaker decay. This decay is non-integrable in time and gives rise to substantial mathematical difficulties; in particular, it prevents the use of classical perturbative arguments to treat the case of small angular diffusion.
title Stability analysis for active Brownian particle models
topic Analysis of PDEs
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.17649