Active Viscoelastic Matter: From Bacterial Drag Reduction to Turbulent Solids

Hemingway, EJ and Maitra, A and Banerjee, S and Marchetti, MC and Ramaswamy, S and Fielding, SM and Cates, ME (2015) Active Viscoelastic Matter: From Bacterial Drag Reduction to Turbulent Solids. In: PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS, 114 (9).

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Abstract

A paradigm for internally driven matter is the active nematic liquid crystal, whereby the equations of a conventional nematic are supplemented by a minimal active stress that violates time-reversal symmetry. In practice, active fluids may have not only liquid-crystalline but also viscoelastic polymer degrees of freedom. Here we explore the resulting interplay by coupling an active nematic to a minimal model of polymer rheology. We find that adding a polymer can greatly increase the complexity of spontaneous flow, but can also have calming effects, thereby increasing the net throughput of spontaneous flow along a pipe (a ``drag-reduction'' effect). Remarkably, active turbulence can also arise after switching on activity in a sufficiently soft elastomeric solid.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
Publisher:	AMER PHYSICAL SOC
Additional Information:	Copy right for this article belongs to the AMER PHYSICAL SOC, ONE PHYSICS ELLIPSE, COLLEGE PK, MD 20740-3844 USA
Department/Centre:	Division of Physical & Mathematical Sciences > Physics
Date Deposited:	20 Apr 2015 06:50
Last Modified:	20 Apr 2015 06:50
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/51221

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