Transport of flexible chiral objects in a uniform shear flow

TL;DR

This study explores how slightly deformable chiral objects move in a uniform shear flow, revealing multiple asymptotic states, deformation effects, and the emergence of dynamical chirality breaking.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of deformable chiral objects in shear flow, highlighting the role of deformations in symmetry breaking and transport behavior.

Findings

Up to four asymptotic states identified

Deformations affect principal axes and chirality index

Shear flow can induce dynamical chirality in achiral objects

Abstract

The transport of slightly deformable chiral objects in a uniform shear flow is investigated. Depending on the equilibrium configuration one finds up to four different asymptotic states that can be distinguished by a lateral drift velocity of their center of mass, a rotational motion about the center of mass and deformations of the object. These deformations influence the magnitudes of the principal axes of the second moment tensor of the considered object and also modify a scalar index characterizing its chirality. Moreover, the deformations induced by the shear flow are essential for the phenomenon of dynamical symmetry breaking: Objects that are achiral under equilibrium conditions may dynamically acquire chirality and consequently experience a drift in the lateral direction.