  The characterization of the interactions between two fully flexible
self-avoiding polymers is one of the classic and most important problems in
polymer physics. In this paper we measure these interactions in the presence of
active fluctuations. We introduce activity into the problem using two of the
most popular models in this field. One where activity is effectively embedded
into the monomers' dynamics, and the other where passive polymers fluctuate in
an explicit bath of active particles. We establish the conditions under which
the interaction between active polymers can be mapped into the classical
passive problem. We observe that the active bath can drive the development of
strong attractive interactions between the polymers and that, upon enforcing a
significant degree of overlap, they come together to form a single
double-stranded unit. A phase diagram tracing this change in conformational
behavior is also reported.

Soft Condensed Matter