Work

The Mechanics and Statistics of Active Matter

Year: 2010

Type: review

Abstract: Active particles contain internal degrees of freedom with the ability to take in and dissipate energy and, in the process, execute systematic movement. Examples include all living organisms and their motile constituents such as molecular motors. This article reviews recent progress in applying the principles of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics and hydrodynamics to form a systematic theory of the behavior of collections of active particles–active matter–with only minimal regard to microscopic details. A unified view of the many kinds of active matter is presented, encompassing not only living systems but inanimate analogs. Theory and experiment are discussed side by side.

Source: Annual Review of Condensed Matter Physics

DOI: 10.1146/annurev-conmatphys-070909-104101

Author: Sriram Ramaswamy

Institutions: Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore

Language: English

Topic: Micro and Nano Robotics

Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India, Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research

Awards: G1718309747, G3349725324