Phase separation kinetics of 2-TIPS at low density: Cluster growth by ballistic agglomeration (2512.18615v1)

Abstract: We study the kinetics of two-temperature induced phase separation (2-TIPS) in dilute binary mixtures of active ("hot") and passive ("cold") particles using molecular dynamics simulations and a coarse-grained hydrodynamic model. Following a temperature quench, cold particles nucleate into mobile clusters that move ballistically and merge through successive coalescence events. The resulting domain growth exhibits dynamic scaling with a growth exponent of approximately 0.7, markedly faster than diffusive coarsening. We identify this regime as ballistic agglomeration of cold clusters, demonstrating a distinct nonequilibrium growth mechanism in low-density scalar active systems.