Two-temperature activity induces liquid-crystal phases inaccessible in equilibrium

In equilibrium hard-rod fluids, and in effective hard-rod descriptions of anisotropic soft-particle systems, the transition from the isotropic (I) phase to the nematic phase (N) is observed above the rod aspect ratio L/D = 3.70 as predicted by Onsager. We examine the fate of this criterion in a molecular dynamics study of a system of soft repulsive spherocylinders rendered active by coupling half the particles to a heat bath at a higher temperature than that imposed on the other half. We show that the system phase-separates and self-organizes into various liquid-crystalline phases that are not observed in equilibrium for the respective aspect ratios. In particular, we find a nematic phase for L/D = 3 and a smectic phase for L/D = 2 above a critical activity.

Automated summary

In this study, it is found that soft repulsive spherocylinders under active driving can exhibit various liquid crystalline phases, including a nematic phase and a smectic phase that are not observed in equilibrium.