In phase-separated active fluids, the Ostwald process can go into reverse, leading to either microphase separation or bubbly phase separation. We show that the latter is formed of two macroscopic regions that are occupied by the homogeneous fluid and by the microphase separated one. Within the microphase-separated fluid, the relative rate of the Ostwald process, coalescence, and nucleation determines whether the size distribution of mesoscopic domains is narrowly peaked or displays a broad range of sizes before attaining a cutoff independent of system size. Our results are obtained via large-scale simulations of a minimal field theory for active phase separation and reproduced by an effective model in which the degrees of freedom are the locations and sizes of the microphase-separated domains.

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• Classical statistical mechanics
• Clustering
• Irreversible processes
• Nonequilibrium & irreversible thermodynamics
• Nonequilibrium statistical mechanics
• Phase behavior
• Self-assembly
• Self-organized systems
• Colloids
• Dry active matter
• Living matter & active matter
• Nonequilibrium systems