On the temperature of an active nematic

TL;DR

This paper introduces a hydrodynamic model for active nematics near thermal equilibrium, revealing how activity influences local temperature profiles through flow-induced inhomogeneities.

Contribution

It presents a novel theoretical framework linking activity-induced flow to temperature variations in active nematics, highlighting thermal signatures of activity.

Findings

Temperature correlations remain unaffected by activity in homogeneous states.

Flow transitions induce distinctive inhomogeneous temperature profiles.

Temperature profiles serve as thermal signatures of activity.

Abstract

We employ a novel hydrodynamic framework for active matter coupled to an environment to study the local temperature of an active nematic, assuming proximity to thermal equilibrium. We show that, due to the mechanosensitivity of fuel consumption, linearized temperature correlations in a homogeneous active nematic steady state remain unaffected by activity. However, we demonstrate that local shearing and twisting cause a confined active nematic undergoing a spontaneous flow transition to develop a distinctive inhomogeneous temperature profile, serving as a thermal signature of activity.