Kinetic theory of lane formation in active binary flows #

Karol Bacik, Bogdan Bacik, Tim Rogers

11:10 Tuesday in 3Q16.

Part of the Collective behaviour and transport session.

Abstract #

Lane formation is a paradigmatic example of spontaneous organization occurring in two component contraflows, which has been observed in diverse contexts including pedestrian traffic and driven colloids. A typical experimental or simulation set-up comprises two groups moving in opposite directions who, as a result of collisions or collision avoidance manoeuvres, achieve segregation into lanes parallel to the direction of motion. In my talk I will discuss a new kinetic theory which gives insight into the physical origin of laning and make predictions about the rate at which the lanes emerge from a homogeneous crowd. To complement the theoretical discussion, I will also present an experiment with human crowds confirming some new dynamical phenomena predicted by the theory.