Non-equilibrium Steady-state Statistical Processes with Confined Active Matter

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Background

Active matter systems, such as motile microorganisms, molecular motors and synthetic self-propelled colloids, have recently attracted a great deal of attention in the natural sciences due to their capability to autonomously convert (free) energy from their surroundings into directed motion, thus representing a new paradigm of non-equilibrium processes. Being driven away from thermal equilibrium, active matter can respond in nontrivial manners to external stimuli, thus giving rise to a plethora of intriguing phenomena that are of great current interest in the field of statistical physics. In particular, one of the most striking differences of active systems with respect to passive ones is manifested in their behavior under confinement due to, e.g., geometrical constrictions or confining potential forces, ranging from accumulation on solid surfaces to complex density patterns in many-particle systems with self-induced polar order depending on the specific details of the self-propulsion, the confining mechanisms and the properties of the environment.

Active microscopic systems are the basic building blocks of life itself, where they exist in predominantly nonequilibrium environments. Confining them by directed forces, which may be of optical, magnetic, chemical, electrostatic or thermophoretic origin, provides opportunities to tune the collective behavior and response of active matter systems. Although recent advances in statistical mechanics have paved the way for the theoretical, numerical and experimental study of many aspects of such systems with nontrivial particle distributions under confinement, a comprehensive framework is still lacking even in the case of non-equilibrium stationary states in simple or complex fluidic environments. Such a framework would open the door for the investigation of many fundamental as well as practical questions regarding the understanding of the emergence of such non-equilibrium steady-states, their physical properties as well as their potential applications in, e.g. particle steering, sorting, self-assembly, the development of microscopic engines, etc. This Research Topic will focus on these issues and aims to bring together theoretical and experimental contributions in the field.

This Research Topic welcomes high-quality Original Research, Review, and Perspective articles. Research interests include but are not limited to theoretical and experimental research on the following topics:

1. Generalized fluctuation theorems for active systems under confinement in non-equilibrium steady states

2. Mesoscopic engines based on active matter

3. Statistics of confined non-equilibrium steady state active matter systems: fist passage, resetting, etc.

4. Active matter dynamics under confinement

5. Exotic manipulation and assembly of active matter

6. Applications of confined active matter systems

7. Statistics and dynamics of confined living matter in non-equilibrium steady states: effect of environments, controlled forces, etc.

Keywords: Active Matter, Statistical physics, Non-equilibrium steady states, Entropy, Self-propelled particles, Brownian motion, Confined mesoscopic systems

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