The name active matter refers to any collection of entities that individually use free energy to generate their own motion and forces. Through interactions, active particles spontaneously organize in emergent large-scale structures with a rich range of materials properties. The active matter paradigm has been applied to living and non-living systems over a vast dynamic range, from the organization of subnuclear structures in the cell to collective motion at the human scale. The diverse phenomena exhibited by these systems all stem from the defining property of active matter as an assembly of components that individually and dissipatively break time-reversal symmetry. This article outlines a selection of current and emerging directions in active matter research. It aims at providing a pedagogical and forward looking introduction for researchers new to the field and a roadmap of open challenges and future directions that may appeal to those established in the area.
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A direct link between active matter and sheared granular systems
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—as measured by their avalanche statistics—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 two dimensions using a numerical protocol, termed “athermal quasistatic random displacement,” and find that these mean-field predictions are surprisingly accurate in low dimensions. We identify a general class of perturbations that smoothly interpolates 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.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1951921
- PAR ID:
- 10277307
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Volume:
- 118
- Issue:
- 18
- ISSN:
- 0027-8424
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- e2019909118
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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