Topological defects in out-of-equilibrium systems

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1. Verfasser: Rouzaire, Ylann
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2026
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author Rouzaire, Ylann
author_facet Rouzaire, Ylann
contents In this PhD thesis, we study topological defects in two-dimensional non-equilibrium systems, focusing on active extensions of the XY model, including activity, mobility and non-reciprocity. In a noisy Kuramoto lattice with short-range coupling, intrinsic frequency heterogeneity destroys quasi-long-range order and fragments the system into finite domains. Defects unbind at all temperatures and exhibit superdiffusive random walks, advected by evolving domain boundaries. By contrast, when oscillators are allowed to move in space, the system undergoes a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition and regains quasi-long-range order, revealing the fundamental role of motility in sustaining coherence. We also analyse a non-reciprocal O(2) model with vision-cone couplings and derive a continuum theory that captures the same large-scale physics. Non-reciprocity selects defect shapes, enriches the annihilation process, and reshapes patterns through advection. Together, these results elucidate the fundamental role of activity and non-reciprocity in shaping topological defects and ordering in non-equilibrium systems. Keywords: Topological defects, XY model, Steep XY model, Kuramoto model, Non-reciprocal interactions, Active matter, Phase transitions, Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition, Non-equilibrium statistical mechanics
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_02482
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Topological defects in out-of-equilibrium systems
Rouzaire, Ylann
Statistical Mechanics
In this PhD thesis, we study topological defects in two-dimensional non-equilibrium systems, focusing on active extensions of the XY model, including activity, mobility and non-reciprocity. In a noisy Kuramoto lattice with short-range coupling, intrinsic frequency heterogeneity destroys quasi-long-range order and fragments the system into finite domains. Defects unbind at all temperatures and exhibit superdiffusive random walks, advected by evolving domain boundaries. By contrast, when oscillators are allowed to move in space, the system undergoes a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition and regains quasi-long-range order, revealing the fundamental role of motility in sustaining coherence. We also analyse a non-reciprocal O(2) model with vision-cone couplings and derive a continuum theory that captures the same large-scale physics. Non-reciprocity selects defect shapes, enriches the annihilation process, and reshapes patterns through advection. Together, these results elucidate the fundamental role of activity and non-reciprocity in shaping topological defects and ordering in non-equilibrium systems. Keywords: Topological defects, XY model, Steep XY model, Kuramoto model, Non-reciprocal interactions, Active matter, Phase transitions, Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition, Non-equilibrium statistical mechanics
title Topological defects in out-of-equilibrium systems
topic Statistical Mechanics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.02482