arXiv subjects

Suropriya Saha

Publications and source records attributed to Suropriya Saha.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Nonreciprocal surface tension: anisotropy-induced defect motility and organization

We show that interfacial nonreciprocity transforms defect dynamics in conserved scalar fields within the framework of the Nonreciprocal Cahn-Hilliard model. Nonreciprocal surface tension alone produces intermittently stable defects: system-spanning target patterns form, lose stability, self-destruct, and nucleate again from a defect-chaotic state. When bulk and interfacial contributions interplay in a particular way, the system forms a distinct mosaic-wave state: traveling waves remain coherent within finite domains demarcated by linear arrangements of motile dislocations, which act as lines of phase slip. Mosaic-waves exhibit scale-free fluctuations at length scales much larger than the average wavelength of the traveling patterns. To explain the wide range of emergent dynamics, we construct the dynamics of the Goldstone-mode. The nonlinearities governing its large-scale fluctuations belong to the anisotropic Kardar-Parisi-Zhang universality class, with the sign of the nonlinear anisotropy controlling the nature of the out-of-equilibrium dynamics.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2026

Breakdown of Emergent Chiral Order and Defect Chaos in Nonreciprocal Flocks

We show that chiral order in two-dimensional nonreciprocal flocking mixtures is generically unstable. Combining large-scale agent-based simulations with a coarse-grained continuum description, we demonstrate that rotating chiral states emerging from antisymmetric couplings are destroyed by the proliferation of topological defects. The resulting dynamics is spatiotemporally chaotic and characterized by a finite correlation length that diverges as nonreciprocity vanishes. On length scales below this cutoff, density and orientational order fluctuations remain scale-free, but the associated scaling exhibits nonuniversal exponents. We attribute this atypical behavior to the coupling between density and order, which causes topological defects to act as persistent sources of nonlinear fluctuations.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2026

Compositional disorder in a multicomponent non-reciprocal mixture: stability and patterns

The mean compositions of individual components can be tuned to control phase behavior in number-conserving passive mixtures. In this work, we investigate the role of variable average density in a system of infinitely many non-reciprocally interacting scalar densities, within the framework of the multi-species non-reciprocal Cahn-Hilliard (NRCH) model. Rather than focusing on specific parameter choices, we study ensembles of systems where the inter-species interaction coefficients and average densities are sampled from probability distributions. We show that non-reciprocity stabilizes the homogeneous mixed state even in the presence of compositional disorder. Using random matrix theory, we derive a general condition for the onset of spinodal instability, which we verify through simulations. Finally, we illustrate the connection between the statistics of the most unstable eigenvalue and the emergent nonlinear dynamics.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2026

Memory as activity: pattern formation in a conserved scalar field

We explore the concept of memory in scalar active matter, focusing on the collective dynamics of particles whose interactions depend on their evolutionary history rather than solely on their current configuration. We introduce the idea of an active particle whose velocity includes an active contribution that depends on its past trajectory suitably weighted by a memory kernel. The memory kernel is unrelated to the thermal noise acting on the particle, meaning that the dynamics breaks detailed balance at the microscopic level. We show that the number density of these active particles is described by a Cahn-Hilliard equation, which typically describes passive phase separation, suitably modified to account for this particular non-equilibrium effect. We establish the novel emergent features of the model and use the example of time delayed interactions to highlight its novel pattern-forming abilities through theory and simulations.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2025

Spinning mixtures: nonreciprocity transfers chirality across scales in scalar densities

A mixture of spinning particles of two different types represents a system where both nonreciprocity and chirality determine the emergent dynamics. In this work we present a minimal model for a two-species mixture of chiral active particles, formulated solely in terms of the number densities of the species. Both nonreciprocity and chirality enter the bulk part of the chemical potential, taking the form of local and non-local contributions, respectively. The chiral term manifests as the curl of the nonreciprocal current, which is non-zero when chasing interactions produces a local phase shift between the number densities. Chiral domains are localised and, as a result of number conservation, they have either positive or negative sign. The chiral domains pull in or push out particles depending on their sign and strongly modify the nonreciprocal dynamics. Their interplay generates distinctive dynamical states, including phase separation with edge currents and a spatio-temporally disordered phase with both chiral and nonreciprocal signatures.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2025

Non-reciprocal mixtures in suspension: the role of hydrodynamic interactions

The collective chasing dynamics of non-reciprocally coupled densities leads to stable travelling waves which can be mapped to a model for emergent flocking. In this work, we couple the non-reciprocal Cahn-Hilliard model (NRCH) to a fluid to minimally describe scalar active mixtures in a suspension, with the aim to explore the stability of the waves, i.e. the emergent flock in the presence of self-generated fluid flows. We show that the emergent polarity is linearly unstable to perturbations for a specific sign of the active stress recalling instabilities of orientational order in a fluid. Using numerical simulations, we find however that non-reciprocity stabilizes the waves against the linear instability in a large region of the phase space.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2025

Hydrodynamic stresses in a multi-species suspension of active Janus colloids

A realistic description of active particles should include interactions with the medium, commonly a momentum-conserving simple fluid, in which they are suspended. In this work, we consider a multi-species suspension of self-diffusiophoretic Janus colloids interacting via chemical and hydrodynamic fields. Through a systematic coarse-graining of the microscopic dynamics, we calculate the multi-component contribution to the hydrodynamic stress tensor of the incompressible Stokesian fluid in which the particles are immersed. For a single species, we find that the strength of the stress produced by the gradients of the number density field is determined by the particles' self-propulsion and chemotactic alignment, and can be tuned to be either contractile or extensile. For a multi-species system, we unveil how different forms of activity modify the stress tensor, and how non-reciprocity in hydrodynamic interactions emerges in an active binary mixture.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2025

Emergent polar order in non-polar mixtures with non-reciprocal interactions

Phenomenological rules that govern the collective behaviour of complex physical systems are powerful tools because they can make concrete predictions about their universality class based on generic considerations, such as symmetries, conservation laws, and dimensionality. While in most cases such considerations are manifestly ingrained in the constituents, novel phenomenology can emerge when composite units associated with emergent symmetries dominate the behaviour of the system. We study a generic class of active matter systems with non-reciprocal interactions and demonstrate the existence of true long-range polar order in two dimensions and above, both at the linear level and by including all relevant nonlinearities in the Renormalization Group sense. We achieve this by uncovering a mapping of our scalar active mixture theory to the Toner-Tu theory of dry polar active matter by employing a suitably defined polar order parameter. We then demonstrate that the complete effective field theory -- which includes all the soft modes and the relevant nonlinear terms -- belongs to the (Burgers-) Kardar-Parisi-Zhang universality class. This classification allows us to prove the stability of the emergent polar long-range order in scalar non-reciprocal mixtures in two dimensions, and hence a conclusive violation of the Mermin-Wagner theorem.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2024

Enhanced stability and chaotic condensates in multi-species non-reciprocal mixtures

Random non-reciprocal interactions between a large number of conserved densities are shown to enhance the stability of the system towards pattern formation. The enhanced stability is an exact result when the number of species approaches infinity and is confirmed numerically by simulations of the multi-species non-reciprocal Cahn-Hilliard model. Furthermore, the diversity in dynamical patterns increases with increasing number of components and novel steady states such as pulsating or spatiotemporally chaotic condensates are observed. Our results may help to unravel the mechanisms by which living systems self-organise via metabolism.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2024

Phase coexistence in the Non-reciprocal Cahn-Hilliard model

We establish the criterion for the phase coexistence in a mixture of nonreciprocally interacting scalar densities. For an arbitrary number of components the active pressure exists for a specific class of interactions, and when the free energy receives no contribution from cross couplings between spatial gradients of two different species. In this case, the pressure can be used to determine phase equilibrium, i.e. to construct binodals, and the active mixture can be mapped to a passive system with an effective free energy. For general interfacial tension, the pressure changes discontinuously across a flat interface which assumes the form of an active Laplace pressure in two dimensions.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2024

Nonreciprocal collective dynamics in a mixture of phoretic Janus colloids

A multicomponent mixture of Janus colloids with distinct catalytic coats and phoretic mobilities is a promising theoretical system to explore the collective behavior arising from nonreciprocal interactions. An active colloid produces (or consumes) chemicals, self-propels, drifts along chemical gradients, and rotates its intrinsic polarity to align with a gradient. As a result the connection from microscopics to continuum theories through coarse-graining couples densities and polarization fields in unique ways. Focusing on a binary mixture, we show that these couplings render the unpatterned reference state unstable to small perturbations through a variety of instabilities including oscillatory ones which arise on crossing an exceptional point or through a Hopf bifurcation. For fast relaxation of the polar fields, they can be eliminated in favor of the density fields to obtain a microscopic realization of the Nonreciprocal Cahn-Hilliard model for two conserved species with two distinct sources of non-reciprocity, one in the interaction coefficient and the other in the interfacial tension. Our work establishes Janus colloids as a versatile model for a bottom-up approach to both scalar and polar active mixtures.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2024

Anomalous fluctuations in a droplet of chemically active colloids or enzymes

Chemically active colloids or enzymes cluster into dense droplets driven by their phoretic response to collectively generated chemical gradients. Employing Brownian dynamics simulation techniques, our study of the dynamics of such a chemically active droplet uncovers a rich variety of structures and dynamical properties, including the full range of fluid-like to solid-like behaviour, and non-Gaussian positional fluctuations. Our work sheds light on the complex dynamics of the active constituents of metabolic clusters, which are the main drivers of non-equilibrium activity in living systems.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2022

Effervescent waves in a binary mixture with non-reciprocal couplings

Non-reciprocal interactions between scalar fields that represent the concentrations of two active species are known to break the parity and time-reversal (PT) symmetries of the equilibrium state, as manifested in the emergence of travelling waves. We explore the notion of nonlinear non-reciprocity and consider a model in which the non-reciprocal interactions can depend on the local values of the scalar fields. For generic cases where such couplings exist, we observe the emergence of spatiotemporal chaos in the steady-state. We associate this chaotic behaviour with a local restoration of PT symmetry in fluctuating spatial domains, which leads to the coexistence of oscillating densities and phase-separated droplets that are spontaneously created and annihilated. We uncover that this phenomenon, which we denote as effervescence, can exist as a dynamical steady-state in large parts of the parameter space in two different incarnations, as characterized by the presence or absence of an accompanying travelling wave.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2022

Chemotactic self-caging in active emulsions

A common feature of biological self-organization is how active agents communicate with each other or their environment via chemical signaling. Such communications, mediated by self-generated chemical gradients, have consequences for both individual motility strategies and collective migration patterns. Here, in a purely physicochemical system, we use self-propelling droplets as a model for chemically active particles that modify their environment by leaving chemical footprints, which act as chemorepulsive signals to other droplets. We analyze this communication mechanism quantitatively both on the scale of individual agent-trail collisions as well as on the collective scale where droplets actively remodel their environment while adapting their dynamics to that evolving chemical landscape. We show in experiment and simulation how these interactions cause a transient dynamical arrest in active emulsions where swimmers are caged between each other's trails of secreted chemicals. Our findings provide new insight into the collective dynamics of chemically active particles and yield principles for predicting how negative autochemotaxis shapes their navigation strategy.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2020

Scalar Active Mixtures: The Non-Reciprocal Cahn-Hilliard Model

Pair interactions between active particles need not follow Newton's third law. In this work we propose a continuum model of pattern formation due to non-reciprocal interaction between multiple species of scalar active matter. The classical Cahn-Hilliard model is minimally modified by supplementing the equilibrium Ginzburg-Landau dynamics with particle number conserving currents which cannot be derived from a free energy, reflecting the microscopic departure from action-reaction symmetry. The strength of the asymmetry in the interaction determines whether the steady state exhibits a macroscopic phase separation or a traveling density wave displaying global polar order. The latter structure, which is equivalent to an active self-propelled smectic phase, coarsens via annihilation of defects, whereas the former structure undergoes Ostwald ripening. The emergence of traveling density waves, which is a clear signature of broken time-reversal symmetry in this active system, is a generic feature of any multi-component mixture with microscopic non-reciprocal interactions.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2019

Pairing, waltzing and scattering of chemotactic active colloids

An interacting pair of chemotactic (anti-chemotactic) active colloids, that can rotate their axes of self-propulsion to align {parallel (anti-parallel)} to a chemical gradient, shows dynamical behaviour that varies from bound states to scattering. The underlying two-body interactions are purely dynamical, non-central, non-reciprocal, and controlled by changing the catalytic activity and phoretic mobility. Mutually chemotactic colloids trap each other in a final state of fixed separation; the resulting `active dimer' translates. A second type of bound state is observed where the polar axes undergo periodic cycles leading to phase-synchronised circular motion around a common point. These bound states are formed depending on initial conditions and can unbind on increasing the speed of self propulsion. Mutually anti-chemotactic swimmers always scatter apart. We also classify the fixed points underlying the bound states, and the bifurcations leading to transitions from one type of bound state to another, for the case of a single swimmer in the presence of a localised source of solute.

physics.bio-ph↗

arXiv2014

Clusters, asters and collective oscillations in chemotactic colloids

The creation of synthetic systems that emulate the defining properties of living matter, such as motility, gradient-sensing, signalling and replication, is a grand challenge of biomimetics. Such imitations of life crucially contain active components that transform chemical energy into directed motion. These artificial realizations of motility point in the direction of a new paradigm in en- gineering, through the design of emergent behavior by manipulating properties at the scale of the individual components. Catalytic colloidal swimmers are a particularly promising example of such systems. Here we present a comprehensive theoretical description of gradient-sensing of an individual swimmer, leading controllably to chemotactic or anti-chemotactic behavior, and use it to construct a framework for studying their collective behavior. We find that both the positional and the orientational degrees of freedom of the active colloids can exhibit condensation, signalling formation of clusters and asters. The kinetics of catalysis introduces a natural control parameter for the range of the interaction mediated by the diffusing chemical species. For various regimes in parameter space in the long-ranged limit our system displays precise analogs to gravitational collapse, plasma oscillations and electrostatic screening. We present prescriptions for how to tune the surface properties of the colloids during fabrication to achieve each type of behavior.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2009

Nonequilibrium noise in electrophoresis: the microion wind

We analyze theoretically the dynamics of a single colloidal particle in an externally applied electric field. The thermal motions of microions lead to an anisotropic, nonequilibrium source of noise, pro- portional to the field, in the effective Langevin equation for the colloid. The fluctuation-dissipation ratio depends strongly on frequency, and the colloid if displaced from its steady-state position relaxes with a velocity not proportional to the gradient of the logarithm of the steady-state probability.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗