No Arabic abstract
Dense assemblies of self-propelled particles undergo a nonequilibrium form of glassy dynamics. Physical intuition suggests that increasing departure from equilibrium due to active forces fluidifies a glassy system. We falsify this belief by devising a model of self-propelled particles where increasing departure from equilibrium can both enhance or depress glassy dynamics, depending on the chosen state point. We analyze a number of static and dynamic observables and suggest that the location of the nonequilibrium glass transition is primarily controlled by the evolution of two-point static density correlations due to active forces. The dependence of the density correlations on the active forces varies non-trivially with the details of the system, and is difficult to predict theoretically. Our results emphasize the need to develop an accurate liquid state theory for nonequilibrium systems.
We theoretically study the non-monotonic (re-entrant) activated dynamics associated with a repulsive glass to fluid to attractive glass transition in high density particle suspensions interacting via strong short range attractive forces. The classic theoretical projection approximation that replaces all microscopic forces by a single effective force determined solely by equilibrium pair correlations is revisited based on the projectionless dynamic theory (PDT) that avoids force projection. A hybrid-PDT is formulated that explicitly quantifies how attractive forces induce dynamical constraints, while singular hard core interactions are treated based on the projection approach. Both the effects of interference between repulsive and attractive forces, and structural changes due to attraction-induced bond formation that competes with caging, are included. Combined with the microscopic Elastically Collective Nonlinear Langevin Equation (ECNLE) theory of activated relaxation, the resultant approach appears to properly capture both the re-entrant dynamic crossover behavior and the strong non-monotonic variation of the activated structural relaxation time with attraction strength and range at very high volume fractions. Qualitative differences with ECNLE theory-based results that adopt the full projection approximation are identified, and testable predictions made. The new formulation appears qualitatively consistent with multiple experimental and simulation studies, and provides a new perspective for the overall problem that is rooted in activated motion and interference between repulsive and attractive forces. This is conceptually distinct from empirical shifting or other ad hoc modifications of ideal mode coupling theory which do not take into account activated dynamics. Implications for thermal glass forming liquids are briefly discussed.
Recent experiments and simulations have revealed glassy features in the cytoplasm, living tissues as well as dense assemblies of self propelled colloids. This leads to a fundamental question: how do these non-equilibrium (active) amorphous materials differ from conventional passive glasses, created either by lowering temperature or by increasing density? To address this we investigate the aging behaviour after a quench to an almost arrested state of a model active glass former, a Kob-Andersen glass in two dimensions. Each constituent particle is driven by a constant propulsion force whose direction diffuses over time. Using extensive molecular dynamics simulations we reveal rich aging behaviour of this dense active matter system: short persistence times of the active forcing lead to effective thermal aging; in the opposite limit we find a two-step aging process with active athermal aging at short times followed by activity-driven aging at late times. We develop a dedicated simulation method that gives access to this long-time scaling regime for highly persistent active forces.
We consider the nonequilibrium dynamics of a charged active Brownian particle in the presence of a space dependent magnetic field. It has recently been shown that the Lorentz force induces a particle flux perpendicular to density gradients, thus preventing a diffusive description of the dynamics. Whereas a passive system will eventually relax to an equilibrium state, unaffected by the magnetic field, an active system subject to a spatially varying Lorentz force settles into a nonequilibrium steady state characterized by an inhomogeneous density and divergence-free bulk fluxes. A macroscopic flux of charged active particles is induced by the gradient of the magnetic field only and does not require additional symmetric breaking such as density or potential gradients. This stands in marked contrast to similar phenomena in condensed matter such as the classical Hall effect. In a confined geometry we observe circulating fluxes, which can be reversed by inverting the direction of the magnetic field. Our theoretical approach, based on coarse-graining of the Fokker-Planck equation, yields analytical results for the density, fluxes, and polarization in the steady state, all of which are validated by direct computer simulation. We demonstrate that passive tracer particles can be used to measure the essential effects of the Lorentz force on the active particle bath, and we discuss under which conditions the effects of the flux could be observed experimentally.
We investigate the glass and the jamming transitions of hard spheres in finite dimensions $d$, through a revised cell theory, that combines the free volume and the Random First Order Theory (RFOT). Recent results show that in infinite dimension the ideal glass transition and jamming transitions are distinct, while based on our theory we argue that they indeed coincide for finite $d$. As a consequence, jamming results into a percolation transition described by RFOT, with a static length diverging with exponent $ u=2/d$, which we verify through finite size scaling, and standard critical exponents $alpha = 0$, $beta = 0$ and $gamma = 2$ independent on $d$.
We demonstrate both experimentally and theoretically that a colloidal sphere trapped in a static optical tweezer does not come to equilibrium, but rather reaches a steady state in which its probability flux traces out a toroidal vortex. This non-equilibrium behavior can be ascribed to a subtle bias of thermal fluctuations by non-conservative optical forces. The circulating sphere therefore acts as a Brownian motor. We briefly discuss ramifications of this effect for studies in which optical tweezers have been treated as potential energy wells.