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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 9, 2025

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets

Published on: May 15, 2017

Non-reciprocal phase transitions.

Michel Fruchart¹, Ryo Hanai^1,2,3, Peter B Littlewood¹

¹James Franck Institute and Department of Physics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.

|April 15, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Non-reciprocity in many-body systems can restore broken symmetries dynamically, leading to novel time-dependent phases. This phenomenon, controlled by exceptional points, offers new insights into self-organization and critical phenomena.

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Published on: May 15, 2017

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Area of Science:

Physics
Complex Systems
Non-equilibrium Dynamics

Background:

Non-reciprocity is common in out-of-equilibrium systems like active matter and neural networks.
While wave propagation in non-reciprocal media is studied, its impact on collective many-body behavior is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the consequences of non-reciprocity on collective behavior in many-body systems.
To demonstrate how non-reciprocity can lead to dynamic restoration of broken symmetries and novel phase transitions.

Main Methods:

Theoretical analysis using concepts from bifurcation theory and non-Hermitian quantum mechanics.
Illustrative robotic demonstrations to visualize the proposed mechanisms.
Generalization of archetypal self-organization models (synchronization, flocking, pattern formation) to non-reciprocal settings.

Main Results:

Non-reciprocity induces time-dependent phases where spontaneously broken continuous symmetries are dynamically restored.
Phase transitions are governed by spectral singularities known as exceptional points.
The study captures non-reciprocal versions of synchronization, flocking, and pattern formation, exhibiting phenomena like active time-(quasi)crystals and hysteresis.

Conclusions:

Non-reciprocity fundamentally alters collective phenomena in many-body systems, leading to dynamic symmetry restoration.
Exceptional points play a crucial role in controlling these non-reciprocal phase transitions.
This work establishes a foundation for a general theory of critical phenomena in non-optimizing systems.