Simulating Escape Panic Using Active Brownian Particles (2023)

Undergraduate: Ben Sykes

Faculty Advisor: Daphne Klotsa
Department: Applied Physical Sciences, Physics and Astronomy

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Escape panic is a phenomenon that occurs when a perceived threat causes the sudden evacuation of a crowd leading to highly chaotic and dangerous situations. Despite the threat it poses, real-world data is rare and largely incomplete, so computer simulations have been used to study the dynamics of escape panic and evaluate potential solutions to mitigate its harmful effects. Our research attempted to develop an active Brownian particle model to simulate escape panic. We used a large box with a wall down the center and an exit in the center of the wall as the basic setup and then varied activity, density of particles, and the placement of an object as we ran our simulations. The information we gathered seems to agree with previous computer models and the limited real-world data. While further tests are required, we believe that an ABP model would be a valuable tool in discovering the underlying mechanisms of escape panic and designing safer evacuation protocols. Here, we discuss the results from this model as well as future goals and simulations to be run.

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