Residual Force Determines Surface Tension in Active Systems
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Publié: |
2025
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| _version_ | 1866917131694637056 |
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| author | Krishan, Bal |
| author_facet | Krishan, Bal |
| contents | The mechanical tension at the interface of motility-induced phase separating active Brownian particles (ABPs) remains an open question. Here, we determine the surface tension by analyzing the spatial distribution of forces at the molecular level in a slab-confined system of ABPs exhibiting high and low density regions separated by a one-dimensional active interface. Unlike previous approaches that evaluate active and interaction stresses independently - often producing near-zero or negative surface tension - we show that on average, interaction forces act antagonistically to active propulsion, reducing the net force experienced by particles. By evaluating the work required to bring a particle to the interface using this total-force framework, we find a positive and physically consistent surface tension. These results reframe the mechanical interpretation of local stresses and provide a generalizable method for connecting microscopic force distributions to emergent interfacial properties in nonequilibrium systems. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_06728 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Residual Force Determines Surface Tension in Active Systems Krishan, Bal Soft Condensed Matter The mechanical tension at the interface of motility-induced phase separating active Brownian particles (ABPs) remains an open question. Here, we determine the surface tension by analyzing the spatial distribution of forces at the molecular level in a slab-confined system of ABPs exhibiting high and low density regions separated by a one-dimensional active interface. Unlike previous approaches that evaluate active and interaction stresses independently - often producing near-zero or negative surface tension - we show that on average, interaction forces act antagonistically to active propulsion, reducing the net force experienced by particles. By evaluating the work required to bring a particle to the interface using this total-force framework, we find a positive and physically consistent surface tension. These results reframe the mechanical interpretation of local stresses and provide a generalizable method for connecting microscopic force distributions to emergent interfacial properties in nonequilibrium systems. |
| title | Residual Force Determines Surface Tension in Active Systems |
| topic | Soft Condensed Matter |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.06728 |