Mean-field theory for the structure of strongly interacting active liquids

TL;DR

This paper develops a nonequilibrium mean-field theory to predict the structure of strongly interacting active liquids, extending traditional approaches to out-of-equilibrium systems with high accuracy.

Contribution

It introduces a novel mean-field framework for strongly interacting active matter, bridging a gap in theoretical predictions for out-of-equilibrium structures.

Findings

Accurately predicts structure of weakly interacting active particles

Extends to strongly interacting systems with high precision

Provides insights into spatial organization in active liquids

Abstract

Active systems, which are driven out of equilibrium by local non-conservative forces, exhibit unique behaviors and structures with potential utility for the design of novel materials. An important and difficult challenge along the path towards this goal is to precisely predict how the structure of active systems is modified as their driving forces push them out of equilibrium. Here, we use tools from liquid-state theories to approach this challenge for a classic minimal active matter model. First, we construct a nonequilibrium mean-field framework which can predict the structure of systems of weakly interacting particles. Second, motivated by equilibrium solvation theories, we modify this theory to extend it with surprisingly high accuracy to systems of strongly interacting particles, distinguishing it from most existing similarly tractable approaches. Our results provide insight into spatial organization in strongly interacting out-of-equilibrium systems.