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Updated: May 24, 2026
08:04
Controlling Flow Speeds of Microtubule-Based 3D Active Fluids Using Temperature
Published on: November 26, 2019
Cooling Mechanism Controls Motility-Induced Phase Separation in Inertial Active Liquids
Manuel Mayo1, Lorenzo Caprini2, María Isabel García de Soria1
1Universidad de Sevilla, Física Teórica, Apartado de Correos 1065, E-41080 Sevilla, Spain.
Physical Review Letters
|May 22, 2026
Summary
Inertia fundamentally alters motility-induced phase separation (MIPS) in active matter by introducing a novel cooling mechanism. This inertial MIPS can occur without particle impenetrability, linking active matter to granular physics.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Active Matter Physics
- Statistical Mechanics
Background:
- Motility-induced phase separation (MIPS) is a key collective behavior in active matter.
- Existing theories primarily focus on the overdamped regime, neglecting inertial effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of inertia in MIPS.
- To uncover the underlying dynamical mechanisms of inertial MIPS.
- To connect inertial active matter with granular physics.
Main Methods:
- Developed an active variant of the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method.
- Formulated a kinetic theory for inertial self-propelled hard spheres.
Main Results:
- Inertia induces a cooling mechanism absent in overdamped active matter.
- Inertial MIPS can occur even without particle impenetrability.
- A density-dependent cooling mechanism arises from the interplay of density, orientation, and temperature.
Conclusions:
- Inertia fundamentally changes the dynamics of MIPS.
- The discovered mechanism links inertial active matter to granular physics.
- This work provides new insights into collective phenomena in non-equilibrium systems.
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