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Noise-Induced Quenched Disorder in Dense Active Systems
Guozheng Lin1, Zhangang Han1, Amir Shee2
1School of Systems Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, People's Republic of China.
Researchers discovered a new "quenched disorder" state in active polar disks. This jammed state, with disks randomly oriented but stable, emerges at intermediate noise levels, offering insights into collective behavior in physical systems.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Soft Matter Physics
- Statistical Mechanics
Background:
- Active matter systems, composed of self-propelled units, exhibit complex collective behaviors.
- Dense assemblies of polar disks are models for studying emergent order and dynamics.
- Noise is a crucial factor influencing phase transitions and emergent states in physical systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report and characterize a novel noise-induced state in a dense sheet of active polar disks.
- To understand the conditions and mechanisms leading to the emergence of quenched disorder.
- To investigate the role of angular fluctuations and retrograde forces in this phenomenon.
Main Methods:
- Development and analysis of a generic model for active polar disks.
- Characterization of the emergent state through simulations and theoretical analysis.
- Investigation of the influence of noise levels and angular dynamics (Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process).
Main Results:
- Identification of a noise-induced state of quenched disorder characterized by jammed disks with random orientations.
- This state exists at intermediate noise levels, situated between moving polar order and dynamic disorder.
- Demonstration that retrograde forces from angular fluctuations drive the quenched disorder phase.
- Computation of the critical noise level for the transition into this state.
Conclusions:
- A novel quenched disorder phase can emerge in dense active polar disk systems due to noise.
- The findings suggest this phenomenon is general and could be observed in various active matter systems.
- Understanding this state provides new insights into the role of noise in driving collective behavior and jamming.
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