Spatiotemporal Control of Charge +1 Topological Defects in Polar Active Matter

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Geerds, Birte C., Singh, Abhinav, Dedenon, Mathieu, Pearce, Daniel J. G., Jülicher, Frank, Sbalzarini, Ivo F., Kruse, Karsten
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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_version_ 1866910247935803392
author Geerds, Birte C.
Singh, Abhinav
Dedenon, Mathieu
Pearce, Daniel J. G.
Jülicher, Frank
Sbalzarini, Ivo F.
Kruse, Karsten
author_facet Geerds, Birte C.
Singh, Abhinav
Dedenon, Mathieu
Pearce, Daniel J. G.
Jülicher, Frank
Sbalzarini, Ivo F.
Kruse, Karsten
contents Topological defects are a conspicuous feature of active liquid crystals that have been associated with important morphogenetic transitions in organismal development. Robust development thus requires a tight control of the motion and placement of topological defects. In this manuscript, we study a mechanism to control +1 topological defects in an active polar fluid confined to a disk. If activity is localized in an annulus within the disk, the defect moves on a circular trajectory around the center of the disk. Using an ansatz for the polar field, we determine the dependence of the angular speed and the circle radius on the boundary orientation of the polar field and the active annulus. Using a proportional integral controller, we guide the defect along complex trajectories by changing the active annulus size and the boundary orientation.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_21359
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Spatiotemporal Control of Charge +1 Topological Defects in Polar Active Matter
Geerds, Birte C.
Singh, Abhinav
Dedenon, Mathieu
Pearce, Daniel J. G.
Jülicher, Frank
Sbalzarini, Ivo F.
Kruse, Karsten
Soft Condensed Matter
Biological Physics
Topological defects are a conspicuous feature of active liquid crystals that have been associated with important morphogenetic transitions in organismal development. Robust development thus requires a tight control of the motion and placement of topological defects. In this manuscript, we study a mechanism to control +1 topological defects in an active polar fluid confined to a disk. If activity is localized in an annulus within the disk, the defect moves on a circular trajectory around the center of the disk. Using an ansatz for the polar field, we determine the dependence of the angular speed and the circle radius on the boundary orientation of the polar field and the active annulus. Using a proportional integral controller, we guide the defect along complex trajectories by changing the active annulus size and the boundary orientation.
title Spatiotemporal Control of Charge +1 Topological Defects in Polar Active Matter
topic Soft Condensed Matter
Biological Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.21359