Collective Dynamics in Biological and Social Systems

Numerical simulations of kinetic models for chemotaxis

Francis Filbet

Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse III

I will present a new algorithm based on a Cartesian mesh for the numerical approximation of kinetic models for chemosensitive movements set in an arbitrary geometry. We investigate the influence of the geometry on the collective behavior of bacteria described by a kinetic equation interacting with nutrients and chemoattractants. Numerical simulations are performed to verify accuracy and stability of the scheme and its ability to exhibit aggregation of cells and wave propagations. Finally, some comparisons with experiments show the robustness and accuracy of such kinetic models.