Cooperative dynamics in two-component out-of-equilibrium systems: Molecular "spinning tops"

TL;DR

This paper investigates the non-equilibrium behavior of a two-component system under Langevin dynamics, revealing a unique steady state where particles exhibit correlated spinning motions due to temperature differences and interactions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel analysis of out-of-equilibrium two-component systems showing cooperative spinning dynamics and non-zero curl probability currents.

Findings

System reaches a non-equilibrium steady state with spinning particles.

Spinning motion is correlated between particles.

Emerging cooperative behavior in probability currents.

Abstract

We study the two-dimensional Langevin dynamics of a two-component system, whose components are in contact with heat baths kept at different temperatures. Dynamics is constrained by an optical trap and the \text{dissimilar} species interact via a quadratic potential. We realize that the system evolves towards a peculiar non-equilibrium steady-state with a non-zero probability current possessing a non-zero curl, such that the randomly moving particles are spinning around themselves, like "spinning top" toys. Our analysis shows that the spinning motion is correlated and also reveals an emerging cooperative behavior of the spatial components of the probability currents of dissimilar species.