Not-so-glass-like Caging and Fluctuations of an Active Matter Model

Abstract

Simple active models of matter recapitulate complex biological phenomena. Their out-of-equilibrium nature, however, often makes these models beyond the reach of first-principle descriptions. This limitation is particularly perplexing when attempting to distinguish between different glass-forming mechanisms. We here consider a minimal active system in various spatial dimensions to identify the underlying processes at play. Activity is found to markedly impact cage escape processes and critical fluctuations, thus offering a distinct perspective on the role of activity sluggish dynamics.