# Demixing of active particles in the presence of external fields

## TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that external fields can significantly lower the threshold for demixing in binary active particle mixtures with different diffusion coefficients, impacting the understanding of phase separation in active matter.

## Contribution

It reveals how external fields influence demixing thresholds in active particle systems, extending previous theoretical models.

## Key findings

- External fields reduce the diffusion coefficient ratio threshold for demixing.
- Demixing behavior depends on the ratio of diffusion coefficients and external field strength.
- Results have implications for controlling phase separation in active matter systems.

## Abstract

Active systems are inherently out of equilibrium, as they collect energy from their surroundings and transform it into directed motion. A recent theoretical study suggests that binary mixtures of active particles with distinct effective diffusion coefficients exhibit dynamical demixing above a threshold ratio of the diffusion coefficients. Here, we show that this threshold may be reduced drastically in the presence of external fields. We investigate the demixing as a function of the ratio of the diffusion coefficients and discuss the implications of the results for active systems.