Confinement Controls the Bend Instability of Three-Dimensional Active Liquid Crystals

Pooja Chandrakar, Minu Varghese, S.Ali Aghvami, Aparna Baskaran, Zvonimir Dogic, and Guillaume Duclos
Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 257801 – Published 18 December 2020
PDFHTMLExport Citation

Abstract

Spontaneous growth of long-wavelength deformations is a defining feature of active liquid crystals. We investigate the effect of confinement on the instability of 3D active liquid crystals in the isotropic phase composed of extensile microtubule bundles and kinesin molecular motors. When shear aligned, such fluids exhibit finite-wavelength self-amplifying bend deformations. By systematically changing the channel size we elucidate how the instability wavelength and its growth rate depend on the channel dimensions. Experimental findings are qualitatively consistent with a minimal hydrodynamic model, where the fastest growing deformation is set by a balance of active driving and elastic relaxation. Our results demonstrate that confinement determines the structure and dynamics of active fluids on all experimentally accessible length scales.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Received 6 July 2020
  • Revised 15 October 2020
  • Accepted 11 November 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.257801

© 2020 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Fluid DynamicsPhysics of Living SystemsPolymers & Soft Matter

Authors & Affiliations

Pooja Chandrakar1,2, Minu Varghese1, S.Ali Aghvami1, Aparna Baskaran1, Zvonimir Dogic2,1, and Guillaume Duclos1,*

  • 1Department of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02453, USA
  • 2Department of Physics, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, USA

  • *Corresponding author. gduclos@brandeis.edu

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

Supplemental Material (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 125, Iss. 25 — 18 December 2020

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review Letters

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×