Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: increases only slightly. Strong bend stresses at the extrema of undulations are released by nucleating ±1/2 disclination pairs, which multiply to produce topological turbulence. The nucleating pairs and the symmetry axes of the +1/2 disclinations are orientationally ordered. In highly active LLCs, this alignment causes a nonmonotonous time dependence of the disclinations' number, as a fast-moving +1/2 disclination of one pair annihilates a -1/2 disclination of the neighboring pair. The spectra of elastic and kinetic energies exhibit distinct wavevector dependencies caused by the energy cost of the deformed passive nematic background. The study demonstrates how applied shears and a passive viscoelastic background affect the dynamics of active matter. Combined with the previously determined viscoelastic properties of the lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal, the results complete a comprehensive description of the experimentally assessable type of active matter.
Source: Soft Matter
DOI: 10.1039/d5sm00744e
Authors: Hend Baza, Fei Chen, Taras Turiv, Sergij V. Shiyanovskii, Oleg D. Lavrentovich
Institution: Kent State University
Language: English
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4416842021