Hyperuniform Active Chiral Fluids with Tunable Internal Structure.

Abstract

Large density fluctuations observed in active systems and hyperuniformity are two seemingly incompatible phenomena. However, the formation of hyperuniform states has been recently predicted in nonequilibrium fluids formed by chiral particles performing circular motion with the same handedness. Here we report evidence of hyperuniformity realized in a chiral active fluid comprised of pear-shaped Quincke rollers of arbitrary handedness. We show that hyperuniformity and large density fluctuations, triggered by dynamic clustering, coexist in this system at different length scales. The system loses its hyperuniformity as the curvature of particles' motion increases, transforming them into localized spinners. Our results experimentally demonstrate a novel hyperuniform active fluid and provide new insights into an interplay between chirality, activity, and hyperuniformity.