Year: 2013
Type: article
Abstract: The flow properties of a continuum model for an active nematic are studied and compared with recent experiments on suspensions of microtubule bundles and molecular motors. The velocity correlation length is found to be independent of the strength of the activity while the characteristic velocity scale increases monotonically as the activity is increased, both in agreement with the experimental observations. We interpret our results in terms of the creation and annihilation dynamics of a gas of topological defects.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Language: English
Topic: Micro and Nano Robotics
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2129727322