arXiv subjects

Erik Kalz

Publications and source records attributed to Erik Kalz.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

A mobility based approach to transport in chiral fluids

Chiral fluids, for which the mobility tensor has antisymmetric, off-diagonal components, exhibit transport phenomena absent in conventional systems, including interaction-enhanced diffusion and negative mobility. While these effects have been predicted theoretically and observed in simulations, their microscopic origin has remained unclear. Here, we address this question using a mobility-based nonequilibrium approach, analysing the steady-state drift of a tracer driven through an interacting chiral fluid. We show that, under strong chirality, the tracer generates a reversed density wake, in which regions of particle accumulation and depletion are inverted compared to the achiral case. This structural inversion of the wake provides a unified physical mechanism underlying both enhanced diffusion and negative mobility. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these phenomena are robust to changes in the interaction potential, highlighting their generality as a consequence of odd mobility.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2026

The chiral random walk: A quantum-inspired framework for odd diffusion

Chirality in active and passive fluids gives rise to odd transport properties, most notably the emergence of robust edge currents that defy standard dissipative dynamics. While these phenomena are well-described by continuum hydrodynamics, a microscopic framework connecting them to their topological origins has remained elusive. Here, we present a lattice model for an isotropic chiral random walk that bridges the gap between classical stochastic diffusion and unitary quantum evolution. By equipping the walker with an internal degree of freedom and a tunable chirality parameter, $p$, we interpolate between a standard diffusive random walk and a deterministic, topologically non-trivial quantum walk. We show that the topological protection characteristic of the unitary limit ($p=1$) remarkably persists into the dissipative regime ($p<1$). This correspondence allows us to theoretically ground the robustness of edge flows in classical chiral systems using the bulk-boundary correspondence of Floquet topological insulators. Our results provide a discrete microscopic description for odd diffusion, offering a powerful toolkit to predict transport in confined geometries and disordered chiral media.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2025

Reversal of tracer advection and Hall drift in an interacting chiral fluid

Chiral fluids are defined by broken mirror or time-reversal symmetry, giving rise to tensorial transport coefficients with antisymmetric components. A key example is the odd mobility tensor, which governs the response of a chiral tracer to an applied force and induces a characteristic transverse drift. While this response is well understood in the infinite dilution limit, the impact of interparticle interactions on the tracer dynamics remains largely unexplored. Here, we conduct an analytical and computational study of a chiral fluid with interparticle interactions and show that, under an external driving force, a chiral tracer can undergo a complete reversal of both its transverse Hall drift and its advection along the force. This reversal emerges from the interplay between odd mobility and interaction-mediated forces, resulting in a phenomenon reminiscent of absolute negative mobility.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2024

Self-diffusion anomalies of an odd tracer in soft-core media

Odd-diffusive systems, characterised by broken time-reversal and/or parity symmetry, have recently been shown to display counterintuitive features such as interaction-enhanced dynamics in the dilute limit. Here we we extend the investigation to the high-density limit of an odd tracer embedded in a soft-Gaussian core medium (GCM) using a field-theoretic approach based on the Dean-Kawasaki equation. Our theory reveals that interactions can enhance the dynamics of an odd tracer even in dense systems. We demonstrate that oddness results in a complete reversal of the well-known self-diffusion ($D_\mathrm{s}$) anomaly of the GCM. Ordinarily, $D_\mathrm{s}$ exhibits a non-monotonic trend with increasing density, approaching but remaining below the interaction-free diffusion, $D_0$, ($D_\mathrm{s} < D_0$) so that $D_\mathrm{s} \uparrow D_0$ at high densities. In contrast, for an odd tracer, self-diffusion is enhanced ($D_\mathrm{s}> D_0$) and the GCM anomaly is inverted, displaying $D_\mathrm{s} \downarrow D_0$ at high densities. The transition between the standard and reversed GCM anomaly is governed by the tracer's oddness, with a critical oddness value at which the tracer diffuses as a free particle ($D_\mathrm{s} \approx D_0$) across all densities. We validate our theoretical predictions with Brownian dynamics simulations, finding strong agreement between the two.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2024

The Dance of Odd-Diffusive Particles: A Fourier Approach

Odd-diffusive systems are characterized by transverse responses and exhibit unconventional behaviors in interacting systems. To address the dynamical interparticle rearrangements in a minimal system, we here exactly solve the problem of two hard disk-like interacting odd-diffusing particles. We calculate the probability density function (PDF) of the interacting particles in the Fourier-Laplace domain and find that oddness rotates all modes except the zeroth, resembling a ``mutual rolling'' of interacting odd particles. We show that only the first Fourier mode of the PDF, the polarization, enters the calculation of the force autocorrelation function (FACF) for generic systems with central-force interactions. An analysis of the polarization as a function of time reveals that the relative rotation angle between interacting particles overshoots before relaxation, thereby rationalizing the recently observed oscillating FACF in odd-diffusive systems.

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arXiv2023

Field-Theory of Active Chiral Hard Disks: A First-Principles Approach to Steric Interactions

A first-principles approach for active chiral hard disks is presented, that explicitly accounts for steric interactions on the two-body level. We derive an effective one-body equation for the joint probability distribution of ositions and angles of the particles. By projecting onto the angular modes, we write a hierarchy for the lowest hydrodynamic modes, i.e. particle density, polarisation, and nematic tensor. Introducing dimensionless variables in the equations, we highlight the assumptions, which - though inherent - are often included implicit in typical closure schemes of the hierarchy. By considering different regimes of the P{\'e}clet number, the well-known models in active matter can be obtained through our consideration. Explicitly, we derive an effective diffusive description and by going to higher orders in the closure scheme, we show that this first-principles approach results in the recently introduced Active Model B +, a natural extension of the Model B for active processes. Remarkably, here we find that chirality can change the sign of the phenomenological activity parameters.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2023

Oscillatory force autocorrelations in equilibrium odd-diffusive systems

The force autocorrelation function (FACF), a concept of fundamental interest in statistical mechanics, encodes the effect of interactions on the dynamics of a tagged particle. In equilibrium, the FACF is believed to decay monotonically in time which is a signature of slowing down of the dynamics of the tagged particle due to interactions. Here we analytically show that in odd-diffusive systems, which are characterized by a diffusion tensor with antisymmetric elements, the FACF can become negative and even exhibit temporal oscillations. We also demonstrate that, despite the isotropy, the knowledge of FACF alone is not sufficient to describe the dynamics: the full autocorrelation tensor is required and contains an antisymmetric part. These unusual properties translate into enhanced dynamics of the tagged particle quantified via the self-diffusion coefficient that, remarkably, increases due to particle interactions.

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arXiv2022

Collisions enhance self-diffusion in odd-diffusive systems

It is generally believed that collisions of particles reduce the self-diffusion coefficient. Here we show that in odd-diffusive systems, which are characterized by diffusion tensors with antisymmetric elements, collisions surprisingly can enhance the self-diffusion. In these systems, due to an inherent curving effect, the motion of particles is facilitated, instead of hindered by collisions leading to a mutual rolling effect. Using a geometric model, we analytically predict the enhancement of the self-diffusion coefficient with increasing density. This counterintuitive behaviour is demonstrated in the archetypal odd-diffusive system of Brownian particles under Lorentz force. We validate our findings by many body Brownian dynamics simulations in dilute systems.

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arXiv2020

Correlations in multithermostat Brownian systems with Lorentz force

We study the motion of a Brownian particle subjected to Lorentz force due to an external magnetic field. Each spatial degree of freedom of the particle is coupled to a different thermostat. We show that the magnetic field results in correlation between different velocity components in the stationary state. Integrating the velocity autocorrelation matrix, we obtain the diffusion matrix that enters the Fokker-Planck equation for the probability density. The eigenvectors of the diffusion matrix do not align with the temperature axes. As a consequence the Brownian particle performs spatially correlated diffusion. We further show that in the presence of an isotropic confining potential, an unusual, flux-free steady state emerges which is characterized by a non-Boltzmann density distribution, which can be rotated by reversing the magnetic field. The nontrivial steady state properties of our system result from the Lorentz force induced coupling of the spatial degrees of freedom which cease to exist in equilibrium corresponding to a single-temperature system.

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