A direct link between active matter and sheared granular systems
Abstract
The similarity in mechanical properties of dense active matter and sheared amorphous solids has been noted in recent years without a rigorous examination of the underlying mechanism. We develop a mean-field model that predicts that their critical behavior should be equivalent in infinite dimensions, up to a rescaling factor that depends on the correlation length of the applied field. We test these predictions in 2d using a new numerical protocol, termed `athermal quasi-static random displacement', and find that these mean-field predictions are surprisingly accurate in low dimensions. We identify a general class of perturbations that smoothly interpolate between the uncorrelated localized forces that occur in the high-persistence limit of dense active matter, and system-spanning correlated displacements that occur under applied shear. These results suggest a universal framework for predicting flow, deformation, and failure in active and sheared disordered materials.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2009.07706,
title = {A direct link between active matter and sheared granular systems},
author = {Peter K. Morse and Sudeshna Roy and Elisabeth Agoritsas and Ethan Stanifer and Eric I. Corwin and M. Lisa Manning},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2009.07706},
year = {2021}
}