Reconfigurable flows and defect landscape of confined active nematics
The physics of active liquid crystals is mostly governed by the interplay between elastic forces that align their constituents, and active stresses that destabilize the order with constant nucleation of topological defects and chaotic flows. The average distance between defects, also called active l...
| Autores: | , , , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2019 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya) |
| Repositorio: | Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:recercat.cat:2445/142321 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2445/142321 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Biofísica Cristalls líquids nemàtics Biophysics Nematic liquid crystals |
| Sumario: | The physics of active liquid crystals is mostly governed by the interplay between elastic forces that align their constituents, and active stresses that destabilize the order with constant nucleation of topological defects and chaotic flows. The average distance between defects, also called active length scale, depends on the competition between these forces. Here, in experiments with the microtubule/kinesin active nematic system, we show that the intrinsic active length scale loses its relevance under strong lateral confinement. Transitions are observed from chaotic to vortex lattices and defect-free unidirectional flows. Defects, which determine the active flow behaviour, are created and annihilated on the channel walls rather than in the bulk, and acquire a strong orientational order in narrow channels. Their nucleation is governed by an instability whose wavelength is effectively screened by the channel width. These results are recovered in simulations, and the comparison highlights the role of boundary conditions. |
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