2022/09/13 by Linnea Lemma, Lemma, Linnea M., Minu Varghese +9 · 4 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Biological Physics (physics.bio-ph) #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #FOS: Physical sciences #Fluid Dynamics (physics.flu-dyn) #Micro and Nano Robotics #Quantum chaos and dynamical systems #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2209.06277
openalex publication_date 2022/09/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04
Active stresses, which are collectively generated by the motion of energy-consuming rod-like constituents, generate chaotic autonomous flows. Controlling active stresses in space and time is an essential prerequisite for controlling the intrinsically chaotic dynamics of extensile active fluids. We design single-headed kinesin molecular motors that exhibit optically enhanced clustering, and thus enable precise and repeatable spatial and temporal control of extensile active stresses. Such motors enable rapid, reversible switching between flowing and quiescent states. In turn, spatio-temporal patterning of the active stress controls the evolution of the ubiquitous bend-instability of extensile active fluids and determines its critical length dependence. Combining optically controlled clusters with conventional kinesin motors enables one-time switching from contractile to extensile active stresses. These results open a path towards real-time control of the autonomous flows generated by active fluids.