Local noise shielding guides the separation of binary chiral mixtures
Phys. Rev. E 114, 045416 – Published 29 October, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/4c17-6tjh
Abstract
The efficient separation of chiral particles is a crucial topic in active matter, where intrinsic rotational motion can generate rich nonequilibrium collective behaviors. So far, few investigations have explored the separation of binary chiral mixtures by guiding particle motion through local noise shielding. Based on a model of self-propelled chiral particles, this article proposes a scheme to achieve particle separation by setting up circular noise-shielded regions for each of two types of chiral particles. The results indicate that the separation process of binary chiral mixtures can be characterized by the evolution from unimodal to bimodal in the probability distribution of interparticle distances. The intrinsic mechanism of separation can be analyzed through the pair correlation function, which shows short-range correlations for homochiral particle pairs and long-range correlations for heterochiral particle pairs. The optimal self-propelled velocity exists to achieve maximum separation, which can be further understood through the spatial correlation of velocity orientation. Moreover, the separation coefficient versus chirality strength curve exhibits the continuous-transition-like behavior from mixing to separation, where the transition value of the chirality strength linearly depends on the self-propelled velocity. The leading scale of this transition point is set by the geometric comparability between the orbital radius and the noise-shielded region's radius, while collective effects provide a subleading correction. These results may have significant implications for understanding nonequilibrium collective dynamics and particle sorting mechanisms.