Exact moments and re-entrant transitions in the inertial dynamics of active Brownian particles

Abstract

Abstract In this study, we investigate the behavior of free inertial active Brownian particles in the presence of thermal noise. While finding a closed-form solution for the joint distribution of positions, orientations, and velocities using the Fokker–Planck equation is generally challenging, we utilize a Laplace transform method to obtain the exact temporal evolution of all dynamical moments in arbitrary dimensions. Our expressions in d dimensions reveal that inertia significantly impacts steady-state kinetic temperature and swim pressure while leaving the late-time diffusivity unchanged. Notably, as a function of activity and inertia, the steady-state velocity distribution exhibits a remarkable re-entrant crossover from ‘passive’ Gaussian to ‘active’ non-Gaussian behaviors. We construct a corresponding ‘phase diagram’ using the exact expression of the d-dimensional kurtosis. Our analytic expressions describe steady states and offer insights into time-dependent crossovers observed in moments of velocity and displacement. Our calculations can be extended to predict up to second-order moments for run-and-tumble particles and the active Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process (AOUP). Additionally, the kurtosis shows differences from AOUP.