Biased ensembles of pulsating active matter

We discover unexpected connections between packing configurations and rare fluctuations in dense systems of active particles subject to pulsation of size. Using large deviation theory, we examine biased ensembles which select atypical realizations of the dynamics exhibiting high synchronization in particle size. We show that the order emerging at high bias can manifest as distinct dynamical states with either a finite or a vanishing size current. Remarkably, transitions between these states arise from changing the system geometry at fixed bias and constant density. We rationalize such transitions as stemming from a change in the packing configurations favored by the geometry. Specifically, we reveal that a master curve in the unbiased dynamics, correlating polydispersity and current, helps predict the dynamical state emerging in the biased dynamics. Finally, we demonstrate that deformation waves can propagate under suitable geometries when biasing with local order.