Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: We consider inhomogeneous polymers driven by energy-consuming active processes which encode temporal patterns of athermal kicks. We find that such temporal excitation programs, propagated by tension along the polymer, can effectively couple distinct polymer loci. Consequently, distant loci exhibit correlated motions that fold the polymer into specific conformations, as set by the local actions of the active processes and their distribution along the polymer. Interestingly, active kicks that are canceled out by a time-delayed echo can induce strong compaction of the active polymer.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Authors: Andriy Goychuk, Deepti Kannan, Mehran Kardar
Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4401612803