Phase coexistence in the Non-reciprocal Cahn-Hilliard model

Abstract

We establish the criterion for the phase coexistence in a mixture of nonreciprocally interacting scalar densities. For an arbitrary number of components the active pressure exists for a specific class of interactions, and when the free energy receives no contribution from cross couplings between spatial gradients of two different species. In this case, the pressure can be used to determine phase equilibrium, i.e. to construct binodals, and the active mixture can be mapped to a passive system with an effective free energy. For general interfacial tension, the pressure changes discontinuously across a flat interface which assumes the form of an active Laplace pressure in two dimensions.