Mechanics promotes coherence in heterogeneous active media

Soling Zimik; Sitabhra Sinha

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arXiv · 2408.10603

Mechanics promotes coherence in heterogeneous active media

Soling Zimik·Sitabhra Sinha

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Abstract

Synchronization of activity among myocytes constituting vital organs, e.g., the heart, is crucial for physiological functions. Self-organized coordination in such heterogeneous ensemble of excitable and oscillatory cells is therefore of clinical importance. We show by varying the strength of intercellular coupling and the electrophysiological diversity, a wide range of collective behavior emerges including clusters of synchronized activity. Strikingly, stretch-activated currents allow waves of mechanical deformation to alter the activity of neighboring cells, promoting robust global coherence.

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Soling Zimik, Sitabhra Sinha. 2024-08-20. Mechanics promotes coherence in heterogeneous active media. https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.10603

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