Berlin 2024 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 19: Active Matter III (joint session DY/BP/CPP)
BP 19.1: Invited Talk
Wednesday, March 20, 2024, 09:30–10:00, BH-N 334
Emergent chemotaxis in synthetic active matter — •Abhinav Sharma1,2, Hidde Vuijk1, Pierluigi Muzzeddu3, Holger Merlitz2, and Jens-Uwe Sommer2 — 1Universität Augsburg, 86159 Augsburg — 2Leibniz Institute für Polymerforschung, Dresden — 3SISSA, Trieste, Italy
Active particles with their characteristic feature of self-propulsion are regarded as the simplest models for motility in living systems. The accumulation of active particles in low activity regions has led to the general belief that chemotaxis requires additional features and at least a minimal ability to process information and to control motion. We show that self-propelled particles display chemotaxis and move into regions of higher activity if the particles perform work on passive objects, or cargo, to which they are bound. The origin of this cooperative chemotaxis is the exploration of the activity gradient by the active particle when bound to a load, resulting in an average excess force on the load in the direction of higher activity. In fact chemotaxis should emerge in all those structures which allow cooperative exploration of the activity landscape. We demonstrate this in simple assemblies of active molecules, which show robust chemotaxis both under static and dynamic activity landscapes.
Keywords: Chemotaxis; Active Matter; Polymers; Directed Transport; Biophysics