Growth and aging in a few phase-separating active matter systems

TL;DR

This study uses computer simulations to analyze the growth, aging, and phase separation dynamics of active Brownian particles, comparing results with passive Ising models, revealing similarities and differences in non-equilibrium behavior.

Contribution

It provides a detailed comparison of phase separation and aging in active matter systems with classical passive models, highlighting new insights into their dynamic scaling behaviors.

Findings

Active Brownian particles exhibit phase separation dynamics similar to passive Ising systems.

Aging behavior in active systems follows scaling laws comparable to passive counterparts.

Results suggest certain active models can be effectively described by equilibrium-like frameworks.

Abstract

Via computer simulations we study evolution dynamics in systems of continuously moving Active Brownian Particles. The obtained results are discussed against those from the passive 2D Ising case. Following sudden quenches of uniform configurations to state points lying within the miscibility gaps and to the critical points, we investigate the far-from-steady-state dynamics by calculating quantities associated with structure and characteristic length scales. We also study aging for quenches into the miscibility gap and provide a quantitative picture for the scaling behavior of the two-time order-parameter correlation function. The overall structure and dynamics are consistent with expectations from the Ising model. This remains true for certain active lattice models as well for which we present results for quenches to the critical points.