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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.05925 |
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| _version_ | 1866910109130555392 |
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| author | Huang, Linzheng Zhang, Hengdi Zhang, Zaicheng Shen, Zaiyi |
| author_facet | Huang, Linzheng Zhang, Hengdi Zhang, Zaicheng Shen, Zaiyi |
| contents | We show that propagating switching fronts mediate directional state transmission and polarity selection in a passive many-body suspension. In confined trains of slipper-shaped deformable particles in Poiseuille flow, this behavior originates from directionally biased switching between neighboring particles: owing to the fore-aft asymmetry of the slipper, an upstream particle drives switching of its downstream neighbor more effectively than in the reverse direction. A local transition from an opposite-sign pair to a same-sign pair therefore launches a streamwise front that relays the inclination sign from particle to particle. A minimal coarse-grained model with local bistability and directional coupling captures front propagation and arrest. In periodic trains, the fronts coarsen into a uniformly polarized state, whereas in long open trains they arrest and leave persistent polarized domains. Our results point to local bistability and directional coupling as a route to collective polarization in passive many-body systems. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_05925 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Hydrodynamic Switching Fronts Polarize Deformable Particle Trains Huang, Linzheng Zhang, Hengdi Zhang, Zaicheng Shen, Zaiyi Soft Condensed Matter Fluid Dynamics We show that propagating switching fronts mediate directional state transmission and polarity selection in a passive many-body suspension. In confined trains of slipper-shaped deformable particles in Poiseuille flow, this behavior originates from directionally biased switching between neighboring particles: owing to the fore-aft asymmetry of the slipper, an upstream particle drives switching of its downstream neighbor more effectively than in the reverse direction. A local transition from an opposite-sign pair to a same-sign pair therefore launches a streamwise front that relays the inclination sign from particle to particle. A minimal coarse-grained model with local bistability and directional coupling captures front propagation and arrest. In periodic trains, the fronts coarsen into a uniformly polarized state, whereas in long open trains they arrest and leave persistent polarized domains. Our results point to local bistability and directional coupling as a route to collective polarization in passive many-body systems. |
| title | Hydrodynamic Switching Fronts Polarize Deformable Particle Trains |
| topic | Soft Condensed Matter Fluid Dynamics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.05925 |