Nonequilibrium phase transition in the sedimentation of reproducing particles

Abstract

We study numerically and analytically the dynamics of a sedimenting suspension of active, reproducing particles, such as growing bacteria in a gravitational field. In steady state we find a non-equilibrium phase transition between a `sedimentation' regime, analogous to the sedimentation equilibrium of passive colloids, and a `uniform' regime, in which the particle density is constant in all but the top and bottom of the sample. We discuss the importance of fluctuations in particle density in locating the phase transition point, and report the kinetics of sedimentation at early times.