Instabilities, Phase Transitions, and Thermodynamics of Active Matter

The self-organization of the microtubule cytoskeleton underlies diverse cell biological processes, ranging from chromosome segregation to neuronal morphogenesis. In order to gain insight into these biological processes, and the properties of active matter more generally, we are studying the large-scale dynamics, mechanics, and thermodynamics of collections of microtubules and molecular motors in cell extracts and reconstituted systems of purified components. I will present our recent work characterizing spontaneous contractions, ordering, instabilities, and heat production in these systems.