The modes of crowd disasters: emergent structural mechanisms for high-density collective motion inspired by human crowds
by
Arianna Bottinelli(Uppsala University)
→
Europe/Stockholm
112:028
112:028
Description
In heavy metal concerts, pilgrimages, parades, and Black Friday bargain hunters, the density of people can become exceptionally high, and may give rise to unusual and occasionally tragic collective motions known as “crowd turbulence”. While active particle simulations can reproduce most phenomenology of human collective motion, the mechanisms underlying the emergence of such collective motions from purely physical interactions between contacting bodies are not yet understood.
Here, we take inspiration from techniques developed in the context of jammed granular materials to study an active matter model inspired by situations when large groups of people gather at a point of common interest. Our analysis identifies Goldstone modes, soft spots, and stochastic resonance as structurally-driven mechanisms for potentially dangerous emergent collective motion.
