Self-propulsive active nematics

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sousa, Niels de Graaf, Andersen, Simon Guldager, Ardaševa, Aleksandra, Doostmohammadi, Amin
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866915475054657536
author Sousa, Niels de Graaf
Andersen, Simon Guldager
Ardaševa, Aleksandra
Doostmohammadi, Amin
author_facet Sousa, Niels de Graaf
Andersen, Simon Guldager
Ardaševa, Aleksandra
Doostmohammadi, Amin
contents Increasing evidence suggests that active matter exhibits instances of mixed symmetry that cannot be fully described by either polar or nematic formalism. Here, we introduce a minimal model that integrates self-propulsion into the active nematic framework. Our linear stability analyses reveal how self-propulsion shifts the onset of instability, fundamentally altering the dynamical landscape. Numerical simulations confirm these predictions, showing that self-propulsion induces anti-hyperuniform fluctuations, anomalous long-range order in vorticity, and non-universal self-similar energy cascades. Notably, these long-range ordered states emerge within the active turbulence regime well before the transition to a flocking state. Additionally, our analyses highlight a non-monotonic dependence of self-organization on self-propulsion, with optimal states characterized by a peak in correlation length. These findings are relevant for understanding of active nematic systems that self-propel, such as migrating cell layers or swarming bacteria, and offer new avenues for designing synthetic systems with tailored collective behaviours, bridging the gap between active nematics and self-propulsive systems.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_02386
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Self-propulsive active nematics
Sousa, Niels de Graaf
Andersen, Simon Guldager
Ardaševa, Aleksandra
Doostmohammadi, Amin
Soft Condensed Matter
Increasing evidence suggests that active matter exhibits instances of mixed symmetry that cannot be fully described by either polar or nematic formalism. Here, we introduce a minimal model that integrates self-propulsion into the active nematic framework. Our linear stability analyses reveal how self-propulsion shifts the onset of instability, fundamentally altering the dynamical landscape. Numerical simulations confirm these predictions, showing that self-propulsion induces anti-hyperuniform fluctuations, anomalous long-range order in vorticity, and non-universal self-similar energy cascades. Notably, these long-range ordered states emerge within the active turbulence regime well before the transition to a flocking state. Additionally, our analyses highlight a non-monotonic dependence of self-organization on self-propulsion, with optimal states characterized by a peak in correlation length. These findings are relevant for understanding of active nematic systems that self-propel, such as migrating cell layers or swarming bacteria, and offer new avenues for designing synthetic systems with tailored collective behaviours, bridging the gap between active nematics and self-propulsive systems.
title Self-propulsive active nematics
topic Soft Condensed Matter
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.02386