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Phase Separation, Capillarity, and Odd-Surface Flows in Chiral Active Matter
Luke Langford1, Ahmad K Omar1,2
1University of California, Berkeley, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, California 94720, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|February 28, 2025
Summary
This study introduces a theory for active phase separation in chiral systems, revealing that increasing chirality suppresses separation and creates unique interfacial currents. These findings challenge traditional thermodynamics and offer new insights into nonequilibrium systems.
Area of Science:
- Non-equilibrium physics
- Soft matter physics
- Statistical mechanics
Background:
- Active phase separation defies standard thermodynamic models.
- Existing theories often assume spatial parity symmetry, neglecting chirality's role.
- Chirality is prevalent in many experimental active systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a theoretical framework for phase coexistence in systems with broken spatial parity.
- To investigate the impact of chirality on interfacial phenomena in active matter.
- To reconcile nonequilibrium active processes with thermodynamic concepts.
Main Methods:
- Derivation of a novel theoretical model for chiral active systems.
- Analysis of phase coexistence and interfacial fluctuations.
- Large-scale Brownian dynamics simulations to validate theoretical predictions.
Main Results:
- Increased chirality suppresses phase separation.
- Development of steady-state tangential currents at phase interfaces.
- Interfacial properties like stability and fluctuations are governed by surface tension, unaffected by odd flows.
- Theoretical predictions show excellent agreement with simulation results.
Conclusions:
- The developed theory successfully describes phase separation in chiral active matter.
- Chirality introduces unique nonequilibrium phenomena like tangential currents.
- Standard thermodynamic concepts like surface tension remain key for interfacial properties.
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