Nematic ordering in active fluids driven by substrate deformations: Mechanisms and patterning regimes

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Venkatesh, Varun, Doostmohammadi, Amin
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Venkatesh, Varun
Doostmohammadi, Amin
author_facet Venkatesh, Varun
Doostmohammadi, Amin
contents The interplay between active matter and its environment is central to understanding emergent behavior in biological and synthetic systems. Here, we show that coupling active nematic flows to small-amplitude deformations of a compliant substrate can fundamentally reorganize the system's dynamics. Using a model that combines active nematohydrodynamics with substrate mechanics, we find that contractile active nematics-normally disordered in flat geometries-undergo a sharp transition to long-range orientational order when the environment is deformable. This environmentally induced ordering is robust and enables distinct patterning regimes, with wrinkle morphologies reflecting the nature of the active stresses. Our results reveal a generic mechanism by which mechanical feedback from soft environments can lead to ordering in active systems.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_24639
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Nematic ordering in active fluids driven by substrate deformations: Mechanisms and patterning regimes
Venkatesh, Varun
Doostmohammadi, Amin
Soft Condensed Matter
The interplay between active matter and its environment is central to understanding emergent behavior in biological and synthetic systems. Here, we show that coupling active nematic flows to small-amplitude deformations of a compliant substrate can fundamentally reorganize the system's dynamics. Using a model that combines active nematohydrodynamics with substrate mechanics, we find that contractile active nematics-normally disordered in flat geometries-undergo a sharp transition to long-range orientational order when the environment is deformable. This environmentally induced ordering is robust and enables distinct patterning regimes, with wrinkle morphologies reflecting the nature of the active stresses. Our results reveal a generic mechanism by which mechanical feedback from soft environments can lead to ordering in active systems.
title Nematic ordering in active fluids driven by substrate deformations: Mechanisms and patterning regimes
topic Soft Condensed Matter
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.24639