Instabilities and turbulence-like dynamics in an oppositely driven binary particle mixture

¹ Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University - 606-8502 Kyoto, Japan
² Department of Physics, Ritsumeikan University - Kusatsu 525-8577 Shiga, Japan

^(a) mikeda@yukawa.kyoto-u.ac.jp

Received: 19 June 2012
Accepted: 27 August 2012

Abstract

Using extensive particle-based simulations, we investigate out-of-equilibrium pattern dynamics in an oppositely driven binary particle system in two dimensions. A surprisingly rich dynamical behavior including lane formation, jamming, oscillation and turbulence-like dynamics is found. The ratio of two friction coefficients is a key parameter governing the stability of lane formation. When the friction coefficient transverse to the external force direction is sufficiently small compared to the longitudinal one, the lane structure becomes unstable to shear-induced disturbances, and the system eventually exhibits a dynamical transition into a novel turbulence-like phase characterized by random convective flows. We numerically construct an out-of-equilibrium phase diagram. Statistical analysis of complex spatio-temporal dynamics of the fully nonlinear turbulence-like phase suggests its apparent reminiscence to the swarming dynamics in certain active matter systems.