Dresden 2026 – wissenschaftliches Programm
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DY: Fachverband Dynamik und Statistische Physik
DY 44: Poster: Active Matter, Soft Matter, and Fluids
DY 44.12: Poster
Mittwoch, 11. März 2026, 15:00–18:00, P5
Order and shape dependence of mechanical relaxation in proliferating active matter — Jonas Isensee1,2, •Finn Albrecht1,2, Lukas Hupe1,2, and Philip Bittihn1,2 — 1MPI for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Göttingen, Germany — 2Institute for the Dynamics of Complex Systems, University of Göttingen, Germany
The collective behavior of dense, proliferating anisotropic active matter, such as elongated cells or bacteria, arises from an interplay between growth, division, and mechanical interactions, often mediated by particle shape. In classical models of prolate, rod-like growth, flow-induced alignment and division geometry reinforce one another, leading to robust nematic order under confinement. Here we introduce a complementary regime by considering smooth convex particles whose geometry can be oblate for part or all of their growth cycle, creating a tunable competition between these two alignment mechanisms. Using agent-based simulations of particles with tunable curvature profiles in both channel and open-domain geometries, we systematically vary particle shapes to span regimes of cooperation and competition between ordering cues. We find that oblate growth can reverse classical flow-alignment, destabilize microdomain formation in intermediate regimes, and, in combination with variations in curvature, lead to entirely new global order patterns. These findings are then reconciled using an order- and shape-dependent mechanical relaxation interpretation that is supported by explicit measurements.
Keywords: directed growth; orientational order; expansion flow; active nematics; microdomains