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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Self-propelled particles undergoing cyclic transitions

Ye Zhang and Duanduan Wan*

  • Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-structures of Ministry of Education and School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China

  • *Contact author: ddwan@whu.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. Research 7, L032040 – Published 21 August, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/bxmn-hzwh

Abstract

Cyclic transitions between active and passive states are central to many natural and synthetic systems, ranging from light-driven active particles to animal migrations. Here, we investigate a minimal model of self-propelled Brownian particles undergoing cyclic transitions across three spatial zones: gain, loss, and neutral regions. Particles become active in the gain region, passive in the loss region, and retain their state in the neutral region. By analyzing the steady-state behavior as a function of particle number and the size of the loss region, we identify a threshold particle number, below and above which distinct structural changes are observed. Interestingly, below this threshold, increasing the particle number reduces the state-switching time (the time required for a particle to transition from active to passive and back to active). In contrast, above the threshold, further increases in particle number result in longer switching times. In the subthreshold regime, our analytical model predicts structural characteristics and switching dynamics that align well with simulations. Above the threshold, we observe an emergent clustering, with particles transitioning from passive to active states in close proximity. These findings provide insights into the collective dynamics of cyclic processes between active and passive states across distinct spatial zones in active matter systems.

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Phys. Rev. Research 7, L032040– Published 21 August, 2025
  • Received 2 February 2025
  • Accepted 4 August 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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