Emergent rotation of passive clusters in a chiral active bath
We investigate the dynamics of passive particles immersed in a bath of chiral active particles, focusing on the emergence of collective rotational motion. Using numerical simulations, we show that passive particles aggregate into clusters that can exhibit persistent rotation within a well-defined regime of size ratio and active particle packing fraction. This rotational state is characterized by the coexistence of internal structural order, enhanced shape fluctuations, and a coherent net torque generated by the surrounding active bath. Outside this regime, the dynamics remain predominantly diffusive, highlighting that sustained rotation is not ubiquitous but arises from a delicate interplay between geometry, activity, and chirality. Furthermore, we demonstrate that chirality heterogeneity disrupts rotational coherence, while a uniform chiral bath promotes strongly superdiffusive angular dynamics. These results provide new insights into the role of chirality and collective interactions in shaping the emergent behavior of active-passive mixtures.
Authors
- Shradha Mishra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6069-9031)
- Abhra Puitandy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3832-5719)
- Divya Kushwaha
Institutions
- Indian Institute of Technology BHU (IN)
- Banaras Hindu University (IN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The Journal of Chemical Physics
- Published
- 2026-09-15
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0337377
- Primary Topic
- Micro and Nano Robotics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- University Grants Commission
- Science and Engineering Research Board