Abstract
We study, in two space dimensions, the collective properties of constant-speed polar point particles interacting locally by nematic alignment in the presence of noise. This minimal approach to self-propelled rods allows one to deal with large numbers of particles, which exhibit a rich phenomenology distinctively different from all other known models for self-propelled particles. Extensive simulations reveal long-range nematic order, phase separation, and space-time chaos mediated by large-scale segregated structures.
- Received 6 November 2009
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.184502
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