State diagram of the non-reciprocal Cahn–Hilliard model and the effects of symmetry

Journal article

Interactions between active particles may be non-reciprocal, breaking action-reaction symmetry and leading to novel physics not observed in equilibrium systems. The non-reciprocal Cahn–Hilliard (NRCH) model is a phenomenological model that captures the large-scale effects of non-reciprocity in conserved, phase-separating systems. In this work, we explore the consequences of different variations of this model corresponding to different symmetries, inspired by the importance of symmetry in equilibrium universality classes. In particular, we contrast two models, one with a continuous SO(2) symmetry and one with a discrete C4 symmetry. We analyze the corresponding models by constructing three-dimensional linear stability diagrams. With this, we connect the models with their equilibrium limits, highlight the role of mean composition, and classify qualitatively different instabilities. We further demonstrate how non-reciprocity gives rise to out-of-equilibrium steady states with non-zero currents and present representative closed-form solutions that help us understand characteristic features of the models in different parts of the parameter space.

Authors: Johnsrud, MK; Golestanian, R

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: IOP Publishing
• Journal: Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory and Experiment
• Volume: 2025
• Issue: 12
• Article number: 123204
• Publication date: 2025-12-10
• Acceptance date: 2025-11-14
• DOI: 10.1088/1742-5468/ae22e9
• EISSN: 1742-5468
• ISSN: 1742-5468
• Language: English
• Keywords: numerical simulations; active matter; phase diagrams