Related papers: Cohesion-decohesion asymmetry in geckos
The dynamics of frictional interfaces play an important role in many physical systems spanning a broad range of scales. It is well-known that frictional interfaces separating two dissimilar materials couple interfacial slip and normal…
In order to understand the long known anomalies in the composition dependence of diffusion and viscosity of binary mixtures, we introduce here two new models and carry out extensive molecular dynamic simulations. In these models, the two…
We suggest a novel approach to treating symbiotic relations between biological species or social entities. The main idea is the characterisation of symbiotic relations of coexisting species through their mutual influence on their respective…
Using computer simulations, we identify the mechanisms causing aggregation and structural arrest of colloidal suspensions interacting with a short-ranged attraction at moderate and high densities. Two different non-ergodicity transitions…
Recent studies in mammalian hearts show that left ventricular wall thickening is an important mechanism for systolic ejection and that during contraction the cardiac muscle develops significant stresses in the muscular cross-fiber…
Adhesive [e.g. van der Waals] forces were not generally taken into account in contact mechanics until 1971, when Johnson, Kendall and Roberts (JKR) generalized Hertz' solution for an elastic sphere using an energetic argument which we now…
Interactions between active individuals in animal collectives lead to emergent responses that remain elusive in synthetic soft matter. Here, shape-morphing polymers are used to create bio-inspired transient solids that self-assemble with…
Motivated by the motion of nematode sperm cells, we present a model for the motion of an adhesive gel on a solid substrate. The gel polymerizes at the leading edge and depolymerizes at the rear. The motion results from a competition between…
We examine an exactly solvable model of decoherence -- a spin-system interacting with a collection of environment spins. We show that in this simple model (introduced some time ago to illustrate environment--induced superselection) generic…
An explicit $\textit{spatial}$ localization of a hole is shown in a two-leg $t$-$J$ ladder in the presence of a staggered chemical potential, which still retains a translational symmetry, by density matrix renormalization group method.…
By analytically solving some simple models of phase-ordering kinetics, we suggest a mechanism for the onset of non-equilibrium behaviour in colloid-polymer mixtures. These mixtures can function as models of atomic systems; their physics…
We use numerical simulations to show how noninteracting hard particles binding to a deformable elastic shell may self-assemble into a variety of linear patterns. This is a result of the nontrivial elastic response to deformations of shells.…
Many biological materials must couple mechanical strength with the ability to rapidly self-assemble at a specific location. In particular, biomolecular condensates readily self-assemble via phase separation, but may also need to resist…
When adhesive elastomeric materials slide over hard rough surfaces at low velocities, there are two primary dissipative mechanisms that control how friction changes with sliding velocity: viscoelastic dissipation and adhesive dissipation.…
We revisit the problem of decoherence of a qubit centrally coupled to an interacting spin environment, here modeled by a quantum compass chain or an extended XY model in a staggered magnetic field. These two models both support distinct…
We develop the hydrodynamic theory of dry, polar ordered, active matter (``flocking") with autochemotaxis; i.e., self-propelled entities moving in the same direction, each emitting a substance which attracts the others (e.g., ants). We find…
The unbinding properties of an interface near structured wedges are investigated by discrete models with short range interactions. The calculations demonstrate that interface unbinding take place in two stages: $i$) a continuous…
In swarms of flying insects, the motions of individuals are largely uncoordinated with those of their neighbors, unlike the highly ordered motion of bird flocks. However, it has been observed that insects may transiently form pairs with…
Our understanding of the neural basis of locomotor behavior can be informed by careful quantification of animal movement. Classical descriptions of legged locomotion have defined discrete locomotor gaits, characterized by distinct patterns…
In forced wetting, a rapidly moving surface drags with it a thin layer of trailing fluid as it is plunged into a second fluid bath. Using high-speed interferometry, we find characteristic structure in the thickness of this layer with…