Extension of Model AB

20 Jan 2021 - Irene

To expand upon the systematic study of active reaction-diffusion systems, we also consider that the diffusive dynamics can break time reversal symmetry in its own right. This happens only at higher order in the gradient expansion, but is the leading behaviour without reactions present. We incorporate the higher gradient terms into Model AB and show that for slow reaction rates the system can undergo a new type of hierarchical microphase separation, which we call ‘bubbly microphase separation’. In this state, small droplets of one fluid are continuously created and absorbed into large droplets, whose length-scales are controlled by the competing reactive and diffusive dynamics. For further details, see my paper on Model AB+.