Interface stability, interface fluctuations, and the Gibbs-Thomson relationship in motility-induced phase separations.

Lee, Chiu Fan · Soft Matter · 2017

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Minimal models of self-propelled particles with short-range volume exclusion interactions have been shown to exhibit the signatures of phase separation. Here I show that the observed interfacial stability and fluctuations in motility-induced phase separations (MIPS) can be explained by modeling the microscopic dynamics of the active particles in the interfacial region. In addition, I demonstrate the validity of the Gibbs-Thomson relationship in MIPS, which provides a functional relationship between the size of a condensed drop and its surrounding vapor concentration. As a result, the late-stage coarsening dynamics of MIPS at vanishing supersaturation follows the classic Lifshitz-Slyozov scaling law.