Theories of collective dynamics and active matter constitute a set of analytical and computational techniques used to model systems of self-driven units that convert internal or ambient energy into persistent motion, leading to emergent nonequilibrium phenomena. These techniques include continuum hydrodynamic theories, kinetic theory approaches, and agent-based modeling frameworks that describe pattern formation, phase separation, flocking, and anomalous transport in active systems. They provide mathematical tools to derive effective equations of motion, quantify correlations and fluctuations, and predict macroscopic behavior from microscopic interaction rules, enabling systematic analysis of biological, synthetic, and granular active materials beyond equilibrium statistical mechanics.
Several years ago, scientists discovered that a single microscopic particle could rock back and forth on its own under a steady electric field. The result was curious, but lonely. Now, Northwestern University engineers have ...
Soft Matter
Jan 26, 2026
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59
A collaboration between the University of Konstanz and Forschungszentrum Jülich has achieved the first fully tunable experimental realization of a long predicted "swarmalator" system. The study, published in Nature Communications, ...
General Physics
Dec 10, 2025
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22
A collaborative team of physicists and microbiologists from UNIST and Stanford University has, for the first time, uncovered the fundamental laws governing the distribution of self-propelled particles, such as bacteria.
General Physics
Oct 24, 2025
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44
Asymmetric interactions between different species of molecules have previously been demonstrated to result in self-organized patterns and functions. If one species A is attracted to B, but in turn, B is repelled by A, run-and-chase ...
General Physics
Aug 20, 2025
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14
How can a horde of active robots be automatically brought to a standstill? By arresting their dynamics in a self-sustained way. This phenomenon was discovered by physicists at Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf (HHU) and ...
General Physics
Aug 6, 2025
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44
What if particles don't slow down in a crowd, but move faster? Physicists from Leiden worked together and discovered a new state of matter, where particles pass on energy through collisions and create more movement when packed ...
General Physics
Aug 4, 2025
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52
A Cornell research team has employed a variation of a theory first used to predict the collective actions of electrons in quantum mechanical systems to a much taller, human system—the National Basketball Association.
General Physics
Jun 16, 2025
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30
If you've ever watched a flock of birds move in perfect unison or seen ripples travel across a pond, you've witnessed nature's remarkable ability to coordinate motion. Recently, a team of scientists and engineers at Rice ...
General Physics
May 19, 2025
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33
Materials with self-adaptive mechanical responses have long been sought after in material science. Using computer simulations, researchers at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Hyderabad, now show how such ...
Soft Matter
May 19, 2025
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23
Picture yourself at a busy pedestrian crossing. When the light is red, everyone waits—until one person starts to cross. Soon, others follow, and eventually everyone follows the crowd and crosses. Amsterdam physicists have ...
General Physics
Apr 30, 2025
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14
