A Mexican hat dance: clustering in Ricker-potential particle systems

Abstract

The dynamics and spontaneous organization of coupled particles is a classic problem in modeling and applied mathematics. Here we examine the behavior of particles coupled by the Ricker potential, exhibiting finite local repulsion transitioning to distal attraction, leading to an energy-minimizing ``preferred distance''. When compressed by a background potential well of varying severity, these particles exhibit intricate self-organization into ``stacks" with varying sizes and positions. We examine bifurcations of these high-dimensional arrangements, yielding tantalizing glimpses into a rich dynamical zoo of behavior.