发表机构
University of Luxembourg; ISC-CNR, Institute for Complex Systems; NANOTEC-CNR, Soft and Living Matter Laboratory, Institute of Nanotechnology（卢森堡大学; 复杂系统研究所（ISC-CNR）; 纳米技术研究所软物质与生命物质实验室（NANOTEC-CNR））
机构由 AI 辅助整理，请以论文原文为准。AI 中文总结
研究具有竞争相互作用的群体感应活性粒子中的微相分离，通过推导粗粒化场论，结合模拟与理论预测特征长度，揭示了从宏观相分离到有限波长密度调制的转变及特殊簇相，确定竞争相互作用是产生可调谐活性微相的微观机制。
AI 中文摘要
活性物质中的标准群体感应模型表现出诸如运动诱导相分离等集体现象。本文表明，纳入竞争感应范围——这是受微生物通讯启发的最小要素——会定性地改变这种行为，用具有涌现有限长度尺度特征的自组织微相取代宏观相分离。从微观动力学出发，我们推导出一个粗粒化场论，其系数与微观感应函数的矩明确相关。这种映射使得基于粒子的模拟和连续统理论之间能够直接比较，从而可以直接从微观相互作用参数预测特征调制长度和相关长度。二维数值模拟证实了这些预测，并揭示了随着感应尺度之间竞争的增加，从宏观相分离到有限波长密度调制的转变。对于更强的竞争相互作用，系统会形成具有间隙渗流网络的特殊簇相，这由高阶梯度展开捕获。我们的结果确定了竞争群体感应相互作用是产生可调谐活性微相的简单微观机制。
英文摘要
Standard quorum-sensing models in active matter exhibit collective phenomena such as motility-induced phase separation. Here, we show that incorporating competing sensing ranges-- a minimal ingredient inspired by microbial communication --qualitatively changes this behavior, replacing macroscopic phase separation with self-organized microphases characterized by an emergent finite length scale. Starting from the microscopic dynamics, we derive a coarse-grained field theory whose coefficients are explicitly related to the moments of the microscopic sensing function. This mapping enables a direct comparison between particle-based simulations and continuum theory, allowing the characteristic modulation and correlation lengths to be predicted directly from the microscopic interaction parameters. Two-dimensional numerical simulations confirm these predictions and reveal a transition from macrophase separation to finite-wavelength density modulations as the competition between sensing scales increases. For stronger competing interactions, the system develops a peculiar cluster phase with an interstitial percolating network, which is captured by a higher-order gradient expansion. Our results identify competing quorum-sensing interactions as a simple microscopic mechanism for generating tunable active microphases.
Comments10 pages, 6 figures
