Structure Selection by Non-Conservative 3-Body Acoustic Interactions
Soft Condensed Matter
2026-07-15 v1
Abstract
Non-conservative multi-body interactions are typically associated with instabilities and activity in driven, field-mediated systems. Here we show that they can also promote stable static structures. Combining experiments and simulations in a minimal, acoustically levitated three-particle system, we tune the relative strength of conservative and non-conservative contributions to the force field. The conservative component favors a symmetric equilibrium configuration, whereas the non-conservative 3-body contribution selects a flattened isosceles triangle. Our results identify non-conservative multi-body forces as a mechanism for static structure selection in driven-dissipative matter in the absence of an effective-energy landscape.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2607.14378,
title = {Structure Selection by Non-Conservative 3-Body Acoustic Interactions},
author = {Qinghao Mao and Heinrich M. Jaeger},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2607.14378},
year = {2026}
}