English

Modeling complex particle suspensions: perspectives on the rigid multiblob method

Soft Condensed Matter 2025-07-31 v2

Abstract

Many suspensions contain particles with complex shapes that are affected not only by hydrodynamics, but also by thermal fluctuations, internal kinematic constraints and other long-range non-hydrodynamic interactions. Modeling these systems represents a significant numerical challenge due to the interplay between different effects and the need to accurately capture multiscale phenomena. In this article we review recent developments to model large suspensions of particles of arbitrary shapes and multiple couplings with controllable accuracy within the rigid multiblob framework. We discuss the governing equations, highlight key numerical developments, and illustrate applications ranging from microswimmers to complex colloidal suspensions. This review illustrates the effectiveness and versatility of the rigid multiblob method in tackling a wide range of physical problems in fluid mechanics, soft matter physics, biophysics, materials and colloidal science.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2505.06066,
  title  = {Modeling complex particle suspensions: perspectives on the rigid multiblob method},
  author = {Blaise Delmotte and Florencio Balboa Usabiaga},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2505.06066},
  year   = {2025}
}

Comments

24 pages, 8 figures. Minor update

R2 v1 2026-06-28T23:27:17.405Z