Active nematics are intrinsically phase-separated
Abstract
Two-dimensional nonequilibrium nematic steady states, as found in agitated granular-rod monolayers or films of orientable amoeboid cells, were predicted [Europhys. Lett. 62 (2003) 196] to have giant number fluctuations, with standard deviation proportional to the mean. We show numerically that the steady state of such systems is macroscopically phase-separated, yet dominated by fluctuations, as in the Das-Barma model [PRL 85 (2000) 1602]. We suggest experimental tests of our findings in granular and living-cell systems.
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