Spatial organization of active particles with field-mediated interactions.

Zakine, Ruben; Fournier, Jean-Baptiste; van Wijland, Frédéric · Phys Rev E · 2020

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

We consider a system of independent pointlike particles performing a Brownian motion while interacting with a Gaussian fluctuating background. These particles are in addition endowed with a discrete two-state internal degree of freedom that is subjected to a nonequilibrium source of noise, which affects their coupling with the background field. We explore the phase diagram of the system and pinpoint the role of the nonequilibrium drive in producing a nontrivial patterned spatial organization. We are able, by means of a weakly nonlinear analysis, to account for the parameter-dependence of the boundaries of the phase and pattern diagram in the stationary state.