Diffusion of active particles driven by odd interactions.

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Statistical Mechanics
• Soft Matter

Background:

• Odd systems exhibit unique properties like energy non-conservation and broken time-reversal symmetry.
• The impact of odd interactions on particle diffusion and phase transitions remains poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how nonconservative odd forces influence diffusion and the glass transition in a two-dimensional system.
• To explore the relationship between odd interactions, particle number density, and diffusion dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Simulated a two-dimensional Kob-Andersen mixture using Brownian dynamics.
• Incorporated Lennard-Jones potentials and nonconservative odd forces between particles.
• Analyzed diffusion coefficients and glass transition behavior across varying degrees of oddness and particle densities.

Main Results:

• Odd interactions consistently promote particle diffusion.
• A nonmonotonic relationship was observed between diffusion coefficient and particle number density, with optimal densities for diffusion at moderate oddness.
• High oddness resulted in a bimodal distribution of diffusion coefficients.
• Adjusting oddness at low temperatures induced a transition from a glassy to a liquid state.

Conclusions:

• Odd interactions significantly impact diffusion and phase behavior in dense particle systems.
• The findings provide critical insights into the dynamics of non-equilibrium systems with odd forces.
• This research opens avenues for controlling diffusion and phase transitions through engineered odd interactions.