Self-propelled active particles exhibit novel collective behaviors, such as fish schooling, bacterial colony formation, and the dynamics of biomacromolecules. As a rapidly growing research area in recent years, a current focus is on chiral active chains, which display rich and novel dynamics. These systems have primarily been studied through simulations due to significant experimental challenges. In particular, visible and controllable active chains have rarely been achieved in experiments.
Here, we propose to design centimeter-sized granular chains that can exhibit active chiral motion. The student will fabricate these chains using 3D printing and explore their collective behaviors on a vibration stage. If time permits, we will track the chain motions using image analysis and perform quantitative analysis of their collective dynamics.
This project innovatively integrates granular physics with chiral active matter, offering new insights into the non-equilibrium statistics of chiral systems. It is suitable for Science and Engineering students.