Controlling organization and forces in active matter through optically defined boundaries.

ABSTRACT: Living systems are capable of locomotion, reconfiguration and replication. To perform these tasks, cells spatiotemporally coordinate the interactions of force-generating, 'active' molecules that create and manipulate non-equilibrium structures and force fields of up to millimetre length scales^1-3. Experimental active-matter systems of biological or synthetic molecules are capable of spontaneously organizing into structures^4,5 and generating global flows^6-9. However, these experimental systems lack the spatiotemporal control found in cells, limiting their utility for studying non-equilibrium phenomena and bioinspired engineering. Here we uncover non-equilibrium phenomena and principles of boundary-mediated control by optically modulating structures and fluid

SUBMITTER: Ross TD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6719720 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature