Title:

A microscopically reversible kinetic theory of flocking

Abstract:

Flocking is an emergent phenomenon from whose study the field of active matter arose. The traditional approach to flocking is associated with the Vicsek model, which assumes that particles have a constant velocity magnitude. The consequence of this approach is that the microscopic description already incorporates many of the characteristics of the continuum behavior, thereby undermining the notion of emergence and obscuring the origin of activity. In this seminar, I will discuss a completely different approach to active matter where I consider a microscopically reversible model that involves reactive collisions between bird and air particles, both modeled as hard spheres, and I show that by turning on the "chemostat", such a model can give rise to a flocking transition.

If you wish to attend this seminar online, please send an email to r.lier@uva.nl to receive the zoom-link.