A Mexican hat dance: clustering in Ricker-potential particle systems
Adaptation and Self-Organizing Systems
2025-11-21 v1 Mathematical Physics
Dynamical Systems
math.MP
Abstract
The dynamics and spontaneous organization of coupled particles is a classic problem in modeling and applied mathematics. Here we examine the behavior of particles coupled by the Ricker potential, exhibiting finite local repulsion transitioning to distal attraction, leading to an energy-minimizing ``preferred distance''. When compressed by a background potential well of varying severity, these particles exhibit intricate self-organization into ``stacks" with varying sizes and positions. We examine bifurcations of these high-dimensional arrangements, yielding tantalizing glimpses into a rich dynamical zoo of behavior.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2411.01770,
title = {A Mexican hat dance: clustering in Ricker-potential particle systems},
author = {David Sabin-Miller and Daniel M. Abrams},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2411.01770},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
14 pages, 19 figures