Bend instability and topological defects in 3D active nematics

Invited

Abstract

Active nematics describes a phase of matter where active particles that consume energy to produce mechanical work assemble at high density in a state with orientational order but no positional order. In this talk, I will show how the active nematic framework allows us to better understand aspects of the collective behaviors that emerge in bioinspired materials. In particular, I will present our recent efforts to describe the emergence of flows and topological defects in 3D active nematics composed of a passive colloidal liquid crystal doped with active microtubules and molecular motors. I will first describe the generic bend instability that emerges in a flow-aligned 3D active gel and show how the interplay between activity, nematic elasticity and confinement controls the wavelength of this activity driven instability. I will then present current work on the emergence of flows and topological defect in 3D.

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Presenters

  • Guillaume Duclos

    Martin A. Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University

Authors

  • Guillaume Duclos

    Martin A. Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University

  • Daniel Beller

    Department of Physics, University of California, Merced, University of California Merced

  • Pooja Chandrakar

    University of California, Santa Barbara, Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Minu Varghese

    Martin A. Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University, Physics Department, Brandeis University

  • Debarghya Banerjee

    Max-Planck-Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Göttingen

  • Matthew Peterson

    Martin A. Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University

  • Arvind Baskaran

    Physics, Brandeis University, Martin A. Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University, Physics Department, Brandeis University

  • Federico Toschi

    Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology

  • Vincenzo Vitelli

    University of Chicago, Univ of Chicago, James Franck Institute and Department of Physics, University of Chicago, The James Franck Institute and Department of Physics, University of Chicago

  • Sebastian Streichan

    Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Robert Alan Pelcovits

    Brown University, Department of Physics and School of Engineering, Brown University

  • Thomas Powers

    Brown University, School of Engineering and Department of Physics, Brown University, Department of Physics and School of Engineering, Brown University

  • Aparna Baskaran

    Brandeis University, Physics, Brandeis University, Martin A. Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University, Physics Department, Brandeis University

  • Michael F Hagan

    Chemistry, Brandeis University, Physics, Brandeis University, Brandeis University, Martin A. Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University, Physics Department, Brandeis University

  • Zvonimir Dogic

    Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara