Algebraic correlations and anomalous fluctuations in ordered flocks of Janus particles fueled by an AC electric field

Abstract

We study the polar collective dynamics of Janus colloidal particles fueled by an AC electric field. When the density is high enough, the polar interactions between the particles induce a polar orientationally ordered state, which exhibits features reminiscent of the Vicsek model such as true long-range order and giant number fluctuations. Independent measurements of the polarity and velocity at the single particle level allowed us to investigate the single particle dynamics within the ordered state. We discovered theoretically unaddressed statistical properties of the ordered state such as the asymmetric relation of polarity and velocity, enhanced rotational diffusion stronger than in the disordered state, and an algebraic autocorrelation of the polarity. Our experimental findings, at the crossroads of the Vicsek physics and the active Brownian particles physics, shed light on the so-far-unexplored physics arising from the interplay between the polarity and the velocity.