Spontaneous shock waves in pulse-stimulated flocks of Quincke rollers
Abstract Active matter demonstrates complex spatiotemporal self-organization not accessible at equilibrium and the emergence of collective behavior. Fluids comprised of microscopic Quincke rollers represent a popular realization of synthetic active matter. Temporal activity modulations, realized by...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-42633-4 |
| _version_ | 1797636788834009088 |
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| author | Bo Zhang Andreas Glatz Igor S. Aranson Alexey Snezhko |
| author_facet | Bo Zhang Andreas Glatz Igor S. Aranson Alexey Snezhko |
| author_sort | Bo Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Active matter demonstrates complex spatiotemporal self-organization not accessible at equilibrium and the emergence of collective behavior. Fluids comprised of microscopic Quincke rollers represent a popular realization of synthetic active matter. Temporal activity modulations, realized by modulated external electric fields, represent an effective tool to expand the variety of accessible dynamic states in active ensembles. Here, we report on the emergence of shockwave patterns composed of coherently moving particles energized by a pulsed electric field. The shockwaves emerge spontaneously and move faster than the average particle speed. Combining experiments, theory, and simulations, we demonstrate that the shockwaves originate from intermittent spontaneous vortex cores due to a vortex meandering instability. They occur when the rollers’ translational and rotational decoherence times, regulated by the electric pulse durations, become comparable. The phenomenon does not rely on the presence of confinement, and multiple shock waves continuously arise and vanish in the system. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T12:40:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ed281e332707490c80008238ce7598a9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T12:40:09Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-ed281e332707490c80008238ce7598a92023-11-05T12:23:36ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232023-11-011411810.1038/s41467-023-42633-4Spontaneous shock waves in pulse-stimulated flocks of Quincke rollersBo Zhang0Andreas Glatz1Igor S. Aranson2Alexey Snezhko3Materials Science Division, Argonne National LaboratoryMaterials Science Division, Argonne National LaboratoryDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Pennsylvania State UniversityMaterials Science Division, Argonne National LaboratoryAbstract Active matter demonstrates complex spatiotemporal self-organization not accessible at equilibrium and the emergence of collective behavior. Fluids comprised of microscopic Quincke rollers represent a popular realization of synthetic active matter. Temporal activity modulations, realized by modulated external electric fields, represent an effective tool to expand the variety of accessible dynamic states in active ensembles. Here, we report on the emergence of shockwave patterns composed of coherently moving particles energized by a pulsed electric field. The shockwaves emerge spontaneously and move faster than the average particle speed. Combining experiments, theory, and simulations, we demonstrate that the shockwaves originate from intermittent spontaneous vortex cores due to a vortex meandering instability. They occur when the rollers’ translational and rotational decoherence times, regulated by the electric pulse durations, become comparable. The phenomenon does not rely on the presence of confinement, and multiple shock waves continuously arise and vanish in the system.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-42633-4 |
| spellingShingle | Bo Zhang Andreas Glatz Igor S. Aranson Alexey Snezhko Spontaneous shock waves in pulse-stimulated flocks of Quincke rollers Nature Communications |
| title | Spontaneous shock waves in pulse-stimulated flocks of Quincke rollers |
| title_full | Spontaneous shock waves in pulse-stimulated flocks of Quincke rollers |
| title_fullStr | Spontaneous shock waves in pulse-stimulated flocks of Quincke rollers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spontaneous shock waves in pulse-stimulated flocks of Quincke rollers |
| title_short | Spontaneous shock waves in pulse-stimulated flocks of Quincke rollers |
| title_sort | spontaneous shock waves in pulse stimulated flocks of quincke rollers |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-42633-4 |
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