Kavli Affiliate: Mark J. Bowick
| First 5 Authors: Fridtjof Brauns, Myles O’Leary, Arthur Hernandez, Mark J. Bowick, M. Cristina Marchetti
| Summary:
The self-propulsion of +1/2 topological defects is a hallmark of active
nematic fluids, where the defects are advected by the flow field they
themselves generate. In this paper we propose a minimal model for defect
self-propulsion in a nematic active solid: a linear elastic medium with an
embedded nematic texture that generates active stress and associated elastic
strains. We show that such coupling gives rise to self-propelled +1/2 defects
that move relative to the elastic medium by local remodeling of the nematic
texture without advection. This mechanism is fundamentally different from the
fluid case and can lead to unbinding of defect pairs and stabilization of +1
defects. Our findings might help explain how orientational order, of, for
example, muscle fibers, is reconfigured during morphogenesis in solid-like
tissues. The proposed mechanism may, for instance, control motility and merging
of +1/2 defects, which play a crucial role in setting up the body axis during
Hydra regeneration.
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