Dresden 2026 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 34: Focus Session: Emergent Transport in Active Systems (joint session DY/BP)

BP 34.3: Hauptvortrag

Donnerstag, 12. März 2026, 15:45–16:15, ZEU/0160

Chemotactic like behavior in by active Brownian particles: from single particles to to polymers — •Hidde Vuijk — University of Augsburg, Universitätsstraße 1, 86159, Augsburg, Germanz

Active Brownian particles can be used as simplified models for microscopic, motile organisms. This research investigates the behavior of such self-propelled objects in spatial gradients of activity, where their self-propulsion speed varies with position. A single active particle tends to accumulate in low-activity regions. When activity is assumed to be proportional to fuel, this corresponds to antichemotactic like behavior. We demonstrate how this behavior can be reversed by structuring particles into simple complexes. For example, by connecting active particles to passive cargo or linking them into chains, we predict a crossover from accumulation in low-activity regions to accumulation in high-activity regions, that is chemotaxic like behavior. These active dimers and polymers can autonomously move up an activity gradient, accumulating where the fuel concentration is highest. This emergent gradient-sensing arises from the physical interactions, offering a novel mechanism for the design of active matter and providing insight into how primitive life forms without complex information processing might have located nutrients.

Keywords: active matter; active Brownian particles; microswimmers