Splitting probabilities of confined chiral active Brownian particles
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Active particles exhibit self-propulsion, leading to transport behavior that differs fundamentally from passive Brownian motion. In confined or structured domains, activity strongly influence escape probabilities and first-passage behavior. Understanding these effects is essential for describing transport in biological microenvironments, microfluidic devices, and heterogeneous media. In this work, leveraging the backward Fokker–Planck equation, we investigate the splitting probability of chiral active Brownian particles in confined domains, focusing on both a one-dimensional (1D) interval and a two-dimensional corrugated channel. Analytical solutions are derived for the 1D case in various asymptotic regimes. In corrugated channels with small aspect ratios, we develop a Fick–Jacobs reduction that yields effective transport equations along the axial direction, whereas for finite aspect ratios, the splitting dynamics are characterized numerically. We demonstrate how channel geometry, particle activity, and chirality modulate the likelihood of escape through different boundaries. Our results provide quantitative predictions for the transport of active matter in complex environments and highlight the interplay between confinement and activity.
Source: New Journal of Physics
Authors: Sarafa A Iyaniwura, Zhiwei Peng
Institutions: Fred Hutch Cancer Center, University of Alberta
Language: English
Topic: Micro and Nano Robotics
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,610
Award: G5553173160
OpenAlex ID: W7155179560