All issues

The purpose of the study is to simulate the dynamics of traffic flows on city road networks as well as to systematize the current state of affairs in this area. The introduction states that the development of intelligent transportation systems as an integral part of modern transportation technologies is coming to the fore. The core of these systems contain adequate mathematical models that allow to simulate traffic as close to reality as possible. The necessity of using supercomputers due to the large amount of calculations is also noted, therefore, the creation of special parallel algorithms is needed. The beginning of the article is devoted to the up-to-date classification of traffic flow models and characterization of each class, including their distinctive features and relevant examples with links. Further, the main focus of the article is shifted towards the development of macroscopic and microscopic models, created by the authors, and determination of the place of these models in the aforementioned classification. The macroscopic model is based on the continuum approach and uses the ideology of quasi-gasdynamic systems of equations. Its advantages are indicated in comparison with existing models of this class. The model is presented both in one-dimensional and two-dimensional versions. The both versions feature the ability to study multi-lane traffic. In the two-dimensional version it is made possible by introduction of the concept of “lateral” velocity, i. e., the speed of changing lanes. The latter version allows for carrying out calculations in the computational domain which corresponds to the actual geometry of the road. The section also presents the test results of modeling vehicle dynamics on a road fragment with the local widening and on a road fragment with traffic lights, including several variants of traffic light regimes. In the first case, the calculations allow to draw interesting conclusions about the impact of a road widening on a road capacity as a whole, and in the second case — to select the optimal regime configuration to obtain the “green wave” effect. The microscopic model is based on the cellular automata theory and the single-lane Nagel – Schreckenberg model and is generalized for the multi-lane case by the authors of the article. The model implements various behavioral strategies of drivers. Test computations for the real transport network section in Moscow city center are presented. To achieve an adequate representation of vehicles moving through the network according to road traffic regulations the authors implemented special algorithms adapted for parallel computing. Test calculations were performed on the K-100 supercomputer installed in the Centre of Collective Usage of KIAM RAS.

Collective behavior can serve as a mechanism of thermoregulation and play a key role in the joint survival of a group of organisms. In higher animals, such phenomena are usually the subject of study of biology since sudden transitions to collective behavior are difficult to differentiate from the psychological and social adaptation of animals. However, in this paper, we indicate several important examples when a flock of higher animals demonstrates phase transitions similar to known phenomena in liquids and gases. This issue can also be studied experimentally within the framework of synthetic systems consisting of self-propelled robots that act according to a certain given algorithm. Generalizing both of these cases, we consider the problem of phase transitions in a dense group of interacting selfpropelled agents. Within the framework of microscopic theory, we propose a mathematical model of the phenomenon, in which agents are represented as bodies interacting with each other in accordance with an effective potential of a special type, expressing the desire of agents to move in the direction of the gradient of the joint thermal field. We show that the number of agents in the group, the group power, is the control parameter of the problem. A discrete model with individual dynamics of agents reproduces most of the phenomena observed both in natural flocks of higher animals engaged in collective thermoregulation and in synthetic complex systems. A first-order phase transition is observed, which symbolizes a change in the aggregate state in a group of agents. One observes the self-assembly of the initial weakly structured mass of agents into dense quasi-crystalline structures. We demonstrate also that, with an increase in the group power, a second-order phase transition in the form of thermal convection can occur. It manifests in a sudden liquefaction of the group and a transition to vortex motion, which ensures more efficient energy consumption in the case of a synthetic system of interacting robots and the collective survival of all individuals in the case of natural animal flocks.With an increase in the group power, secondary bifurcations occur, the vortex structure in agent medium becomes more complicated.