Related papers: Achieving designed texture and flows in bulk activ…
Active nematics are fluids in which the components have nematic symmetry and are driven out of equilibrium due to the microscopic generation of an active stress. When the active stress is high, it drives flows in the nematic and can lead to…
When a physical system is driven away from equilibrium, the statistical distribution of its dynamical trajectories informs many of its physical properties. Characterizing the nature of the distribution of dynamical observables, such as a…
Active fluids display spontaneous turbulent-like flows known as active turbulence. Recent work revealed that these flows have universal features, independent of the material properties and of the presence of topological defects. However,…
Amorphous particulate matter constitutes a wide range of natural and synthetic materials. Despite this ubiquity, the way in which these systems' disordered microstructure couples to their often subtle and complex dynamical behavior is not…
Continuum models of active nematic gels have proved successful to describe a number of biological systems consisting of a population of rodlike motile subunits in a fluid environment. However, in order to get a thorough understanding of the…
We consider the dynamics of active nematics droplets on flat surfaces, based on the continuum hydrodynamic theory. We investigate a wide range of dynamical regimes as a function of the activity and droplet size on surfaces characterized by…
We use linear stability analysis and hybrid lattice Boltzmann simulations to study the dynamical behaviour of an active nematic confined in a channel made of viscoelastic material. We find that the quiescent, ordered active nematic is…
Motivated by the applications, a class of optimal control problems is investigated, where the goal is to influence the behavior of a given population through another controlled one interacting with the first. Diffusive terms accounting for…
Optical techniques have been employed to coherently control the quantum transport through nanojunctions. Conventional works on optical control of quantum transport usually applied a tailored electrical pulses to perform specific tasks. In…
In this paper, we propose a novel approach for controlling surface water waves and their interaction with floating bodies. We consider a floating target rigid body surrounded by a control region where we design three control strategies of…
Cells control fluid flows with a spatial and temporal precision that far exceeds the capabilities of current microfluidic technologies. Cells achieve this superior spatio-temporal control by harnessing dynamic networks of cytoskeleton and…
Light provides a powerful means of controlling physical behavior of materials but is rarely used to power and guide active matter systems. We demonstrate optical control of liquid crystalline topological solitons dubbed "skyrmions", which…
Despite the significant advances in identifying the driver nodes and energy requiring in network control, a framework that incorporates more complicated dynamics remains challenging. Here, we consider the conformity behavior into network…
Topological defects play a central role in the physics of many materials, including magnets, superconductors and liquid crystals. In active fluids, defects become autonomous particles that spontaneously propel from internal active stresses…
Reaction-diffusion systems offer a powerful framework for understanding self-organized patterns in biological systems, yet controlling these patterns remains a significant challenge. As a consequence, we present a rigorous framework of…
The coupling of human movement dynamics with the function and design of wearable assistive devices is vital to better understand the interaction between the two. Advanced neuromuscular models and optimal control formulations provide the…
Biological molecular machines convert free energy between different forms in cells, often at high efficiency. Optimal control theory provides a framework to elucidate design principles governing energetically efficient driving. Here, we use…
Topological defects play a prominent role in the physics of two-dimensional materials. When driven out of equilibrium in active nematics, disclinations can acquire spontaneous self-propulsion and drive self-sustained flows upon…
We study the dynamics of a tunable 2D active nematic liquid crystal composed of microtubules and kinesin motors confined to an oil-water interface. Kinesin motors continuously inject mechanical energy into the system through ATP hydrolysis,…
We present and study novel optimal control problems motivated by the search for photovoltaic materials with high power-conversion efficiency. The material must perform the first step: convert light (photons) into electronic excitations. We…