Topology of pulsating active matter: Defect asymmetry controls emergent motility
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arXiv
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| Autori principali: | , , |
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| Natura: | Preprint |
| Pubblicazione: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866910255551610880 |
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| author | Casagrande, Luca Manacorda, Alessandro Fodor, Etienne |
| author_facet | Casagrande, Luca Manacorda, Alessandro Fodor, Etienne |
| contents | In pulsating active matter, topological defects are motile despite the absence of any macroscopic flows and microscopic self-propulsion. We reveal that this motility arises from a ratchet effect: the mechanochemical coupling between local oscillations and repulsive interactions breaks both spatial and time-reversal symmetries, thus leading asymmetric rotating defects to drift under fluctuations. This mechanism regulates a crossover between spiral waves connecting slow defects and fiber-like waves connecting fast defects, in analogy with the onset of heart rhythm disorder in cardiac tissues. We rationalize this crossover in terms of a fluctuating hydrodynamics that captures how motile defects spontaneously nucleate and move within an ordered background. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_25996 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Topology of pulsating active matter: Defect asymmetry controls emergent motility Casagrande, Luca Manacorda, Alessandro Fodor, Etienne Soft Condensed Matter Statistical Mechanics In pulsating active matter, topological defects are motile despite the absence of any macroscopic flows and microscopic self-propulsion. We reveal that this motility arises from a ratchet effect: the mechanochemical coupling between local oscillations and repulsive interactions breaks both spatial and time-reversal symmetries, thus leading asymmetric rotating defects to drift under fluctuations. This mechanism regulates a crossover between spiral waves connecting slow defects and fiber-like waves connecting fast defects, in analogy with the onset of heart rhythm disorder in cardiac tissues. We rationalize this crossover in terms of a fluctuating hydrodynamics that captures how motile defects spontaneously nucleate and move within an ordered background. |
| title | Topology of pulsating active matter: Defect asymmetry controls emergent motility |
| topic | Soft Condensed Matter Statistical Mechanics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.25996 |