Numerical modelling of gas bubbling in active matter*

Granular active matter is an interesting field of research owing to their properties of self propulsion for fluidization. However, the presence of an active matter force, if intrinsically random, could limit the control over the fluidization process. A recent study has shown that dynamically structured patterns of gas bubbles can be produced in granular media by vertically vibrating a bubbling fluidized bed at a resonant frequency, which significantly increases control over the granular matter. Thus, we pose two keys questions: how does bubbling in granular active matter differ from traditional granular matter? And can structured gas bubbling exist in highly active granular matter? We present CFD-DEM simulations of a bubbling fluidized bed with an in-house Gaussian active matter force on the particles and show that the bubbling dynamics are highly dependent on the active matter force.