Symbiotic Dynamics in Living Liquid Crystals

TL;DR

This paper introduces a phenomenological model for living liquid crystals, revealing novel symbiotic pattern dynamics like chimeras and solitons, which enable control of order in disordered systems.

Contribution

It develops a coupled model combining active matter and liquid crystals, uncovering new steady states and dynamic behaviors not previously described.

Findings

Discovered chimeras and solitons as new steady states.

Demonstrated control of order in disordered systems.

Unveiled unprecedented dynamics in passive nematic components.

Abstract

An amalgamate of nematic liquid crystals and active matter, referred to as living liquid crystals, is a promising self-healing material with futuristic applications for targeted delivery of information and micro-cargo. We provide a phenomenological model to study the symbiotic pattern dynamics in this contemporary system using the Toner-Tu model for active matter (AM), the Landau-de Gennes free energy for liquid crystals (LCs), and an experimentally motivated coupling term that favours co-alignment of the active and nematic components. Our extensive theoretical studies unfold two novel steady states, chimeras and solitons, with sharp regions of distinct orientational order that sweep through the coupled system in synchrony. The induced dynamics in the passive nematic is unprecedented. We show that the symbiotic dynamics of the AM and LC components can be exploited to induce and manipulate order in an otherwise disordered system.