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Main Authors: Boltz, Horst-Holger, Ihle, Thomas
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.22733
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author Boltz, Horst-Holger
Ihle, Thomas
author_facet Boltz, Horst-Holger
Ihle, Thomas
contents We show that recent numerical findings of universal scaling relations in systems of noisy, aligning self-propelled particles by Kürsten [Kürsten, arXiv:2402.18711v2 [cond-mat.soft] (2025)] can robustly be explained by perturbation theory and known results for the Mathieu equation with purely imaginary parameter. In particular, we highlight the significance of a cascade of exceptional points that leads to non-trivial fractional scaling exponents in the singular-perturbation limit of high activity. Crucially, these features are rooted in the Fokker-Planck operator corresponding to free self-propulsion. This can be viewed as a dynamical phase transition in the dynamics of noisy active matter. We also predict that these scaling relations depend on the symmetry of the alignment interactions and discuss the relevance of this structure in the free propagation for self-alignment and cohesion-type interactions.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_22733
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Spectral insights into active matter: Exceptional Points and the Mathieu equation
Boltz, Horst-Holger
Ihle, Thomas
Statistical Mechanics
We show that recent numerical findings of universal scaling relations in systems of noisy, aligning self-propelled particles by Kürsten [Kürsten, arXiv:2402.18711v2 [cond-mat.soft] (2025)] can robustly be explained by perturbation theory and known results for the Mathieu equation with purely imaginary parameter. In particular, we highlight the significance of a cascade of exceptional points that leads to non-trivial fractional scaling exponents in the singular-perturbation limit of high activity. Crucially, these features are rooted in the Fokker-Planck operator corresponding to free self-propulsion. This can be viewed as a dynamical phase transition in the dynamics of noisy active matter. We also predict that these scaling relations depend on the symmetry of the alignment interactions and discuss the relevance of this structure in the free propagation for self-alignment and cohesion-type interactions.
title Spectral insights into active matter: Exceptional Points and the Mathieu equation
topic Statistical Mechanics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.22733