Manu Bhattarai

My research focuses on the physics of active matter and non-equilibrium collective phenomena, integrating computational modeling, tabletop experiments, and machine learning approaches. I investigate flocking and collective motion through simulations of agent-based and continuum models to understand the statistical, dynamical, and emergent properties of active systems.

Complementing computational work, I design and conduct tabletop experiments using vibrobots and vibrating-plate setups to generate controlled active matter systems. Through imaging, quantitative tracking, and data analysis, I extract measurable order parameters and collective signatures to directly compare experimental observations with theoretical and computational predictions.

In parallel, I explore reinforcement learning frameworks in which agents autonomously learn swarming and collective behaviors. By comparing learned dynamics with established active matter models (e.g., Vicsek-type and active Brownian particle systems), I examine how adaptive, data-driven rules relate to physics-based interaction principles.

Overall, my research aims to bridge statistical physics, nonlinear dynamics, and modern machine learning to develop a deeper understanding of emergent behavior in driven, non-equilibrium systems.

Education:

• University of Notre Dame Ph.D. Physics / South Bend, IN (2015-2021)
• The Pennsylvania State University, Postdoctoral Scholar, Chemistry / University Park, PA (2021-2023)

1. Cody R. Drisko, Hemanta Bhattarai, Christopher J. Fennell, Kelsey M. Stocker, Charles F. Vardeman II, and J. Daniel Gezelter, “OpenMD: A parallel molecular dynamics engine for complex systems and interfaces,”Journal of Open Source Software, 9(102), 7004. (2024).
2. H. Bhattarai, K. E. Newman, and J. D. Gezelter,“The Role of Polarizability in the Interfacial Thermal Conductance at the Gold-Water Interface”, J. Chem. Phys., 153, 204703(2020).
3. H. Bhattarai, K. E. Newman, and J. D. Gezelter, “Polarizable potentials for metals: The density readjusting embedded atom method (DR-EAM)”, Phys. Rev. B, 99, 094106(2019).
4. B. Aryal, H. Bhattarai, S. Dhakal, C. Rajbahak, W. Saurer,“Spatial orientation of angular momentum vectors of galaxies in six rotating clusters”, MNRAS, 434(3), 1939(2013).