Fig. 2: Statistics of single particle trajectories on a complex two-dimensional energy landscape.
From: Patchy energy landscapes promote stability of small groups of active particles
A complex two-dimensional energy landscape (σe = 5 μm) affects the particles' spatial occupancy and motion dynamics. a Histogram comparing the distribution of the light intensity in the locations visited by the particles with the intensity distribution of the energy landscape. b Particles tend to move perpendicular to the gradient of the illumination (α = π/2). α, illustrated in the inset, is the angle between the velocity of the particle (v) and the intensity gradient (∇I). Scalebar = 5 μm. c A lower mean squared displacement (〈Δr2〉) for σe = 5 μm reflects avoidance of high-energy areas compared to a more homogeneous environment (Gaussian illumination, σe → ∞). The inset shows the long-time diffusive behaviour. Shaded areas indicate standard deviations on the mean squared displacement. Data was obtained from averaging at least 20 trajectories, each lasting 45 min.
