Communicated by N. Bellomo and F. BrezziWe present a new model for multi-agent dynamics where each agent is described by its position and body attitude: agents travel at a constant speed in a given direction and their body can rotate around it adopting different configurations. In this manner, the body attitude is described by three orthonormal axes giving an element in SO(3) (rotation matrix). Agents try to coordinate their body attitudes with the ones of their neighbours. In this paper, we give the individual-based model (particle model) for this dynamics and derive its corresponding kinetic and macroscopic equations.

Abstract. We introduce a model of multiagent dynamics for self-organized motion; individuals travel at a constant speed while trying to adopt the averaged body attitude of their neighbors. The body attitudes are represented through unitary quaternions. We prove the correspondence with the model presented in [P. Degond, A. Frouvelle, and S. Merino-Aceituno, Math. Models Methods Appl. Sci., 27 (2017), pp. 1005--1049], where the body attitudes are represented by rotation matrices. Differently from this previous work, the individual-based model introduced here is based on nematic (rather than polar) alignment. From the individual-based model, the kinetic and macroscopic equations are derived. The benefit of this approach, in contrast to that of the previous one, is twofold: first, it allows for a better understanding of the macroscopic equations obtained and, second, these equations are prone to numerical studies, which is key for applications.

The fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures is of great interest to many areas of nanotechnology currently challenged by fundamental limitations of conventional lithography. One of the most promising direct-write methods for 3D nanofabrication is focused electron beam-induced deposition (FEBID), owing to its high spatial resolution and versatility. Here we extend FEBID to the growth of complex-shaped 3D nanostructures by combining the layer-by-layer approach of conventional macroscopic 3D printers and the proximity effect correction of electron beam lithography. This framework is based on the continuum FEBID model and is capable of adjusting for a wide range of effects present during deposition, including beam-induced heating, defocussing and gas flux anisotropies. We demonstrate the capabilities of our platform by fabricating free-standing nanowires, surfaces with varying curvatures and topologies, and general 3D objects, directly from standard stereolithography (STL) files and using different precursors. Real 3D nanoprinting as demonstrated here opens up exciting avenues for the study and exploitation of 3D nanoscale phenomena.

We study the Boltzmann equation on the d-dimensional torus in a perturbative setting around a global equilibrium under the Navier-Stokes linearisation. We use a recent functional analysis breakthrough to prove that the linear part of the equation generates a C 0 -semigroup with exponential decay in Lebesgue and Sobolev spaces with polynomial weight, independently on the Knudsen number. Finally we show a Cauchy theory and an exponential decay for the perturbed Boltzmann equation, uniformly in the Knudsen number, in Sobolev spaces with polynomial weight. The polynomial weight is almost optimal and furthermore, this result only requires derivatives in the space variable and allows to connect to solutions to the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in these spaces.Keywords: Boltzmann equation on the Torus; Incompressible Navier-Stokes hydrodynamical limit; Cauchy theory uniform in Knudsen number, exponential rate of convergence towards global equilibrium.

In this article we investigate the phase transition phenomena that occur in a model of self-organisation through body-attitude coordination. Here, the body attitude of an agent is modelled by a rotation matrix in $${\mathbb {R}}^3$$ R 3 as in Degond et al. (Math Models Methods Appl Sci 27(6):1005–1049, 2017). The starting point of this study is a BGK equation modelling the evolution of the distribution function of the system at a kinetic level. The main novelty of this work is to show that in the spatially homogeneous case, self-organisation may appear or not depending on the local density of agents involved. We first exhibit a connection between body-orientation models and models of nematic alignment of polymers in higher-dimensional space from which we deduce the complete description of the possible equilibria. Then, thanks to a gradient-flow structure specific to this BGK model, we are able to prove the stability and the convergence towards the equilibria in the different regimes. We then derive the macroscopic models associated with the stable equilibria in the spirit of Degond et al. (Arch Ration Mech Anal 216(1):63–115, 2015, Math Models Methods Appl Sci 27(6):1005–1049, 2017).