Continuum model for linked fibers with alignment interactions (Q2788500)

The paper deals with some models of interacting particles (polar particles) in which any particle carries a direction and an orientation, given by its velocity. The interaction can be polar, that is the particles tend to align with their neighbors, eventually by changing their orientation, or nematic, that is alignment without reverting the orientation. This kind of system, in the apolar (not self-propelled particles) case and nematic interaction, is used to model the network of collagen fibers in a fibrous tissue. The fibers change their length by crossing each other and creating a longer fiber, thus branching off without limits.