A Continuum Model for Flocking: Obstacle Avoidance, Equilibrium, and Stability

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dc.contributor.advisorOtt, Edwarden_US
dc.contributor.advisorAntonsen, Jr., Thomas Men_US
dc.contributor.authorMecholsky, Nicholas Alexanderen_US
dc.contributor.departmentPhysicsen_US
dc.contributor.publisherDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_US
dc.contributor.publisherUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2010-07-02T05:43:46Z
dc.date.available2010-07-02T05:43:46Z
dc.date.issued2010en_US
dc.description.abstractThe modeling and investigation of the dynamics and configurations of animal groups is a subject of growing attention. In this dissertation, we present a partial-differential-equation based continuum model of flocking and use it to investigate several properties of group dynamics and equilibrium. We analyze the reaction of a flock to an obstacle or an attacking predator. We show that the flock response is in the form of density disturbances that resemble Mach cones whose configuration is determined by the anisotropic propagation of waves through the flock. We investigate the effect of a flock `pressure' and pairwise repulsion on an equilibrium density distribution. We investigate both linear and nonlinear pressures, look at the convergence to a ‘cold’ (T → 0) equilibrium solution, and find regions of parameter space where different models produce the same equilibrium. Finally, we analyze the stability of an equilibrium density distribution to long-wavelength perturbations. Analytic results for the stability of a constant density solution as well as stability regimes for constant density solutions to the equilibrium equations are presented.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/10272
dc.subject.pqcontrolledPhysics, Theoryen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledPhysics, Fluid and Plasmaen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledPhysics, Generalen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledCollective Behavioren_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledFlockingen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledNonlinear Dynamicsen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledNonlinear Fluidsen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledSwarmen_US
dc.titleA Continuum Model for Flocking: Obstacle Avoidance, Equilibrium, and Stabilityen_US
dc.typeDissertationen_US

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