Spontaneous rotation of an inclusion in a chiral active bath

Active matter systems are known to drive directed transport and rotation when coupled to passive inclusions. We study the dynamics of a geometrically symmetric inclusion, termed a torquer, in a bath of chiral active Brownian particles. Despite being geometrically symmetric and non-motile, the torquer exhibits persistent rotation due to spatially inhomogeneous torques arising from angularly biased collisions with active particles. This interaction-driven symmetry breaking does not rely on shape anisotropy or external forcing. Through simulations, we identify two distinct regimes of rotation: one dominated by density gradients at low chirality and another by increased impact frequency at high chirality. Our results demonstrate that persistent rotational dynamics can be realised in a symmetric inclusion, from anisotropic interaction with the active bath.

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Publication Details

Journal
Soft Matter
Published
2025-12-08
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/d5sm01065a
Primary Topic
Micro and Nano Robotics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Spontaneous rotation of an inclusion in a chiral active bath

Abhra Puitandy, Shradha Mishra
Soft Matter
Micro and Nano Robotics
article

Spontaneous rotation of an inclusion in a chiral active bath

Abhra Puitandy, Shradha Mishra
article en

Abstract

Active matter systems are known to drive directed transport and rotation when coupled to passive inclusions. We study the dynamics of a geometrically symmetric inclusion, termed a torquer, in a bath of chiral active Brownian particles. Despite being geometrically symmetric and non-motile, the torquer exhibits persistent rotation due to spatially inhomogeneous torques arising from angularly biased collisions with active particles. This interaction-driven symmetry breaking does not rely on shape anisotropy or external forcing. Through simulations, we identify two distinct regimes of rotation: one dominated by density gradients at low chirality and another by increased impact frequency at high chirality. Our results demonstrate that persistent rotational dynamics can be realised in a symmetric inclusion, from anisotropic interaction with the active bath.

Soft MatterVol. 22(1)
Indian Institute of Technology BHU (IN), Banaras Hindu University (IN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 75%
Micro and Nano Robotics
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Spontaneous rotation of an inclusion in a chiral active bath — Abhra Puitandy, Shradha Mishra · Soft Matter (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS