Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 11, 2026

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Giant density fluctuations in locally hyperuniform states
Sara Dal Cengio1,2, Romain Mari2, Eric Bertin2
1Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Physics, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Abstract:
Systems driven far from equilibrium may exhibit anomalous density fluctuations: active matter with orientational order displays giant density fluctuations at a large scale, while systems of interacting particles close to an absorbing phase transition may exhibit hyperuniformity, suppressing large-scale density fluctuations. We show that these seemingly incompatible phenomena can coexist in nematically ordered active systems, provided activity is conditioned to particle contacts. We characterize this unusual state of matter and unravel the underlying mechanisms simultaneously, leading to spatially enhanced (on large length scales) and suppressed (on intermediate length scales) density fluctuations. Our work highlights the potential for a rich phenomenology in active matter systems in which the particles' activity is triggered by their local environment, and calls for a broader exploration of absorbing phase transitions in orientationally ordered particle systems.
More Related Videos
10:35Using Microwave and Macroscopic Samples of Dielectric Solids to Study the Photonic Properties of Disordered Photonic Bandgap Materials
Published on: September 26, 2014
11:34Controlled Synthesis and Fluorescence Tracking of Highly Uniform PolyN-isopropylacrylamide Microgels
Published on: September 8, 2016
Related Concept Videos
Density
Entropy
First Law: Particles in Two-dimensional Equilibrium
Newton's first law tells us about...
First Law: Particles in One-dimensional Equilibrium
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Population Distribution
Uniform Distribution
Two essential properties of this distribution are