Active stop and go motion: a strategy to improve spatial exploration? (2306.05647v1)

Abstract: We consider active Brownian particles switching between run and stop states. Such intermittent dynamics are ubiquitous at all scales, from bacteria to animals and in artificial active systems. We provide exact solutions for their transport properties, e.g., velocity autocorrelations and diffusion coefficients. The spread of particles depends on minute details, such as if the memory of active orientation is retained across a stop event. We predict dynamic schemes maximizing the effective diffusivity, potentially utilized by active agents for better access to distributed food.