An agitated oscillator chain

Abstract

We study how the stationary dynamics of an oscillator chain is modified when coupled to a bath of run-and-tumble particles. First, assuming time-scale separation, we derive the induced Langevin chain dynamics with explicit expressions for the streaming term, friction coefficient, and noise amplitude. At high persistence of the run-and-tumble particle bath, the linear friction turns negative, creating an instability. Second, we find that this anti-damping is arrested at long times due to nonlinear effects, reminiscent of a Rayleigh oscillator. We conclude that a passive harmonic chain can be transformed by its coupling to active matter into a self-sustained fluctuating medium with many-body Rayleigh-like dynamics. That transfer of activity results in pulsations of the displacements, spatial oscillations, and the emergence of persistence in velocities along the chain.