SpringerLink
Log in

Active Matter

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Rheology of Complex Fluids

Abstract

The term active matter describes diverse systems, spanning macroscopic (e.g., shoals of fish and flocks of birds) to microscopic scales (e.g., migrating cells, motile bacteria and gels formed through the interaction of nanoscale molecular motors with cytoskeletal filaments within cells). Such systems are often idealizable in terms of collections of individual units, referred to as active particles or self-propelled particles, which take energy from an internal replenishable energy depot or ambient medium and transduce it into useful work performed on the environment, in addition to dissipating a fraction of this energy into heat. These individual units may interact both directly and through disturbances propagated via the medium in which they are immersed. Active particles can exhibit remarkable collective behavior as a consequence of these interactions, including non-equilibrium phase transitions between novel dynamical phases, large fluctuations violating expectations from the central limit theorem and substantial robustness against the disordering effects of thermal fluctuations. In this chapter, following a brief summary of experimental systems, which may be classified as examples of active matter, I describe some of the principles which underlie the modelling of such systems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free ship** worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free ship** worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. 1.

    In this section, we follow the treatments of [33, 13] closely.

  2. 2.

    A summary of these results can be found in [14], from where most of this material is drawn.

References

  1. Ahmadi GA, Marchetti MC, Liverpool TB (2006) Hydrodynamics of isotropic and liquid crystalline active polymer solutions. Phys Rev E 74:061913

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Ballerini M, Cabibbo N, Candelier R et al (2008) Interaction ruling animal collective behavior depends on topological rather than metric distance: Evidence from a field study. Proc Nat Acad Sci 105:1232–1237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Baskaran A, Marchetti MC (2008) Hydrodynamics of self-propelled hard rods. Phys Rev E 77:011920

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  4. Baskaran A, Marchetti MC (2009) Statistical mechanics and hydrodynamics of bacterial suspensions. Proc Nat Acad Sci 106:15567–15572

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Bazazi S, Buhl J, Hale et al (2008) Collective motion and cannibalism in locust migratory bands. Curr Biol 18(10):735–739

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Bershadsky A, Kozlov M, Geiger B (2006) Adhesion-mediated mechanosensitivity: A time to experiment, and a time to theorize. Curr Opin Cell Biol 18:472–81

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Bray D (1992) Cell movements: From molecules to motility. Garland Publishing, New York

    Google Scholar 

  8. Buhl J, Sumpter DJT, Couzin ID et al (2006) From disorder to order in marching locusts. Science 312(5778):1402–1406

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. de Gennes PG, Prost J (1993) Physics of liquid crystals, 2nd edn. Clarendon, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  10. Dombrowski C, Cisneros L, Chatkaew L et al (2004) Self-concentration and large-scale coherence in bacterial dynamics. Phys Rev Lett 93:098103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Giomi L, Marchetti MC, Liverpool TB (2008) Complex spontaneous flows and concentration banding in active polar films. Phys Rev Lett 101:198101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Gruler H, Dewald U, Eberhardt M (1999) Nematic liquid crystals formed by living amoeboid cells. Eur Phys J B 11:187–192

    Google Scholar 

  13. Hatwalne Y, Ramaswamy S, Rao M et al (2004) Rheology of active-particle suspensions. Phys Rev Lett 92:118101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Jűlicher F, Kruse K, Prost J et al (2007) Active behavior of the cytoskeleton. Phys Rep449:3–28

    Google Scholar 

  15. Karsenti E, Nedelec FJ, Surrey T (2006) Modeling microtubule patterns. Nature Cell Biol 8:1204–1211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Kruse K, Joanny JF, Jűlicher F et al (2004) Asters, vortices, and rotating spirals in active gels of polar filaments. Phys Rev Lett 92:078101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Kruse K, Joanny JF, Jűlicher F et al (2005) Generic theory of active polar gels: A paradigm for cytoskeletal dynamics. Eur Phys J E 16:5 –16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Lacoste D, Menon GI, Bazant MZ et al (2009) Electrostatic and electrokinetic contributions to the elastic moduli of a driven membrane. Eur Phys J E 28:243–264

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Lau AWC, Lubensky T (2009) Fluctuating hydrodynamics and microrheology of a dilute suspension of swimming bacteria. Phys Rev E 80:011917

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Liverpool TB, Marchetti MC (2006) Rheology of active filament solutions. Phys Rev Lett 97:268101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Makris NC, Ratilal P, Symonds DT et al (2000) Fish population and behavior revealed by instantaneous continental shelf-scale imaging. Science 311:660–663

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Marcy Y, Prost J, Carlier MF et al (2004) Forces generated during actin-based propulsion: A direct measurement by micromanipulation. Proc Nat Acad Sci 101:5992–5997

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Marenduzzo D, Orlandini E, Cates ME et al (2008), Lattice Boltzmann simulations of spontaneous flow in active liquid crystals: The role of boundary conditions. J Non-Newt Fluid Mech 149:56–62

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  24. Muhuri S, Rao M, Ramaswamy S (2007) Shear-flow-induced isotropic to nematic transition in a suspension of active filaments. Europhys Lett 78:48002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Narayanan V, Ramaswamy S, Menon N (2007) Long-lived giant number fluctuations in a swarming granular nematic. Science 317:105–108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Nedelec FJ, Surrey T, Maggs AC et al (1997) Self-organization of microtubules and motors. Nature 389:305–308

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Purcell EM (1977) Life at low Reynolds number. Am J Phys 45:3–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Rafelski SM, Theriot JA (2004) Crawling toward a unified model of cell motility: Spatial and temporal regulation of actin dynamics. Annu Rev Biochem 73:209–239

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Ramachandran S, Sunil Kumar PB, Pagonabarraga I (2006) A Lattice-Boltzmann model for suspensions of self-propelling colloidal particles. Eur Phys J E 20:151–158

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Ramaswamy S, Rao M (2007) Active filament hydrodynamics: Instabilities, boundary conditions and rheology. New J Phys 9:423

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Ramaswamy S, Simha RA, Toner J (2003) Active nematics on a substrate: Giant number fluctuations and long-time tails. Eur Phys Lett 62:196–202

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Saintillan D, Shelley MJ (2008) Instabilities and pattern formation in active particle suspensions: Kinetic theory and continuum simulations. Phys Rev Lett 100:178103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Simha RA, Ramaswamy S (2002) Hydrodynamic fluctuations and instabilities in ordered suspensions of self-propelled particles. Phys Rev Lett 89:058101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Simha RA, Ramaswamy S (2002) Statistical hydrodynamics of ordered suspensions of self-propelled particles: Waves, giant number fluctuations and instabilities. Physica A 306:262–269

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  35. Stark H, Lubensky TC (2003) Poisson-bracket approach to the dynamics of nematic liquid crystals. Phys Rev E 76:061709

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  36. Toner J, Tu Y (1998) Flocks, herds, and schools: A quantitative theory of flocking. Phys Rev E 58:4828–4858

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  37. Toner J, Tu Y (1998) Long-range order in a two-dimensional dynamical XY model: How birds fly together. Phys Rev Lett 75:4326–4329

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Toner J, Tu Y, Ramaswamy S (2005) Hydrodynamics and phases of flocks. Ann Phys 318: 170–244

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  39. Turner L, Ryu WS, Berg HC (2000) Real-time imaging of fluorescent flagellar filaments. J Bacteriol 182:2793–2801

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Verkhovsky AB, Svitkina TM, Borisy GG (1999) Self-polarization and directional motility of cytoplasm. Curr Biol 9(1):11–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Vicsek T, Czirk A, Ben-Jacob E et al (1995) Novel type of phase transition in a system of self-driven particles. Phys Rev Lett 75:1226–1229

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

I thank Sriram Ramaswamy and Madan Rao for many enlightening and valuable discussions concerning the physics of active matter. Conversations at various points of time with Cristina Marchetti, Tanniemola Liverpool, Jacques Prost, Karsten Kruse, Frank Julicher, David Lacoste, Ronojoy Adhikari, P. B. Sunil Kumar, Aparna Baskaran and Jean-Francois Joanny have also helped to shape the material in this chapter. This work was supported by DST (India) and by the Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (CEFIPRA) [Grant No. 3502]. The hospitality of ESPCI and the Institut Henri Poncare is gratefully acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, CIT Campus, Taramani, Chennai, 600113, India

    Gautam I. Menon

Authors
  1. Gautam I. Menon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gautam I. Menon .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, 600036, India

    J. Murali Krishnan

  2. Dept. Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, I.I.T. P.O., Chennai, 600 036, India

    Abhijit P. Deshpande

  3. Dept. Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Sardar Patel Rd., Chennai, 600036, India

    P. B. Sunil Kumar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Menon, G.I. (2010). Active Matter. In: Krishnan, J., Deshpande, A., Kumar, P. (eds) Rheology of Complex Fluids. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6494-6_9

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6494-6_9

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-6493-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-6494-6

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation