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Dynamics of self-organization in dense persistent active matter

Atharva Shukla1 and Chandan Dasgupta2,3

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Phys. Rev. E 114, 055405 – Published 3 November, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/p7hh-6tn5

Abstract

We consider a two-dimensional athermal binary mixture of Lennard-Jones particles with persistent random active forces. The liquid phase of this system for active forces exceeding a threshold value exhibits self-organization with long-range spatial correlations of particle velocities and active forces. We study with simulations the development of these correlations from a random initial state. Several characteristics of the growth of correlations are measured and compared with those of phase-ordering kinetics of equilibrium systems after a quench from a disordered state. The motion of the particles in the long-time steady state is found to be dominated by two streams that flow in opposite directions.

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Phys. Rev. E 114, 055405– Published 3 November, 2026
  • Received 21 January 2026
  • Accepted 20 October 2026
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