Nonholonomic collective flows: velocity--orientation locking in a continuum with microstructure

Abstract

We develop a continuum theory for a fluid of elongated particles that advance along their own axes. The same kinematics is ideally shared by flocks of sheep, self-propelled rods, vehicular traffic, and turning flocks of birds. Within the framework of continua with vectorial microstructure, in which each point also carries an orientation, we impose the no-side-slip (skate) condition $\vv=u\,\nn$ as an ideal, non-integrable internal constraint. We derive the pure equations of motion and the equation governing the constraint reaction from the principle of virtual power. Using a constitutive closure provided by the Ericksen-Leslie theory of nematic liquid crystals, we show how the constraint also shapes collective effects. It turns parabolic orientational diffusion into hyperbolic orientation-density waves and forbids any steady simple shear. It fixes the empirical Toner-Tu convective coefficient to the flow-alignment ratio measured in colloidal rollers, thereby providing a mechanical foundation for angular sound in micropolar active hydrodynamics. It also recovers the inertial spin model of bird flocks, with the addition of a banking force and a turn-density coupling. Finally, it recovers the classical macroscopic models of one-dimensional traffic flow, while describing steering, lateral tyre forces, and road geometry in two dimensions.