Collective dynamics of active matter under time-dependent asymmetric confinement

Lu Chen, Yuzhe Jiang, Ningning Zu and Yating Wang

Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, 2026, vol. 209, issue P1

Abstract: We investigate the dynamical response of active matter with active reorientation subjected to a time-dependent asymmetric double-well potential, where the asymmetry parameter varies as c(t)=c0sin(ωt). The presence of active reorientation enables the system to convert a weak, slow temporal modulation of the external potential into a strong, coherent collective transport, a mechanism that is absent in passive Brownian systems. In this setting, active particles spontaneously form band-like clusters whose collective motion exhibits sustained oscillations. A direct comparison between systems with and without active reorientation (AR) reveals that AR is essential for generating coherent oscillatory transport. Without AR, particles become trapped in strongly asymmetric and rapidly driven potentials, whereas with AR, the system maintains sustained oscillations and avoids trapping. To quantify the temporal response of the AR system, we analyze the steady-state time series of the clustering order parameter using both time-domain characterization and fast Fourier transform. The power spectra reveal a well-defined dominant frequency ω0, indicating that the collective oscillation exhibits a clear dominant mode. In the low-frequency regime, we observe an approximately linear relation between the response frequency and the driving frequency, which remains weakly dependent on the modulation amplitude c0 within the explored parameter range. These results reveal a collective timescale transduction mechanism in active matter, where intrinsic self-organization is coherently entrained by external modulation, providing new insight into the control of nonequilibrium collective motion.

Keywords: Active matter; Phase behaviors; Collective oscillation; Active reorientation; Asymmetric potential (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:chsofr:v:209:y:2026:i:p1:s096007792600603x

DOI: 10.1016/j.chaos.2026.118462

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