Abstract
Population heterogeneity is ubiquitous among active living systems, but little is known about its role in determining their spatial organization and large-scale dynamics. Combining evidence from synthetic active fluids assembled from self-propelled colloidal particles along with theoretical predictions at the continuum scale, we demonstrate the spontaneous demixing of binary polar liquids within circular confinement. Our analysis reveals how both active speed heterogeneity and nonreciprocal repulsive interactions lead to self-sorting behavior. By establishing general principles for the self-organization of binary polar liquids, our findings highlight the specificity of multicomponent active systems.
- Received 27 June 2023
- Accepted 5 September 2023
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.178304
Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.
Published by the American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
synopsis
synopsisBinary Colloids Don’t Flock Together
Published 25 October 2023
A homogenous mixture of two self-propelling species first forms a polar vortex and then spontaneously demixes, thanks to a difference in speeds and other competing effects.
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