Cooperative dynamics in two-component out-of-equilibrium systems: Molecular "spinning tops"

Abstract

We study the two-dimensional Langevin dynamics of a two-component system, whose components are in contact with heat baths kept at different temperatures. Dynamics is constrained by an optical trap and the \text{dissimilar} species interact via a quadratic potential. We realize that the system evolves towards a peculiar non-equilibrium steady-state with a non-zero probability current possessing a non-zero curl, such that the randomly moving particles are spinning around themselves, like "spinning top" toys. Our analysis shows that the spinning motion is correlated and also reveals an emerging cooperative behavior of the spatial components of the probability currents of dissimilar species.