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    Activity-driven demixing and sustained temperature gradients in inertial active-passive mixtures

    Ze-long Gao, Jia-jian Li, and Bao-quan Ai*

    • Key Laboratory of Atomic and Subatomic Structure and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Structure and Fundamental Interactions of Matter, School of Physics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Engineering and Quantum Materials, and Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory of Quantum Matter, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China

    • *Contact author: aibq@scnu.edu.cn

    Phys. Rev. E 112, 054103 – Published 3 November, 2025

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/5lm1-h83g

    Abstract

    While traditional thermodynamic equilibrium requires uniform temperature across coexisting phases, underdamped active matter systems can sustain nonequilibrium hot-cold coexistence through motility-induced phase separation. We investigate particle demixing and emergent temperature gradients in binary mixtures of inertial active and passive particles. Remarkably, within specific parameter ranges of intermediate particle inertia and self-propulsion strength, the system simultaneously achieves pronounced particle demixing and sustains significant hot-cold coexistence. Activity differences drive rapid species separation, which is further enhanced over time by persistent rotational diffusion. The synergy between inertia and activity significantly amplifies temperature differences both between particle species and across coexisting gas-liquid phases. These temperature disparities originate from inertia-enabled energy storage, collision-mediated energy transfer, propulsion-driven acceleration, and weakened liquid-phase cohesion. Unlike equilibrium systems, active-passive mixtures circumvent thermal homogenization by maintaining kinetic temperature gradients through continuous energy injection and dissipation. These findings elucidate fundamental principles of nonequilibrium self-organization in hybrid systems, with implications for bio-inspired materials, microbial ecology, and energy transport in active composites.

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