Passive objects in confined active fluids: a localization transition

Abstract

We study how walls confining active fluids interact with asymmetric passive objects placed in their bulk. We show that the objects experience non-conservative long-ranged forces mediated by the active bath. To leading order, these forces can be computed using a generalized image theorem. The walls repel asymmetric objects, irrespective of their microscopic properties or their orientations. For circular cavities, we demonstrate how this may lead to the localization of asymmetric objects in the center of the cavity, something impossible for symmetric ones.