arXiv subjects

Aurélien Roux

Publications and source records attributed to Aurélien Roux.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

NEMO: A Framework for Nematic and Morphological Analysis of Curved and Multi-layered Biological Surfaces

Across biological scales, from cytoskeletal networks to whole tissues, orientational order and topological defects arise within complex three-dimensional geometries. However, quantifying nematic order orientational order with head-to-tail symmetry remains challenging: 2D projections introduce geometric distortions, while current 3D methods often struggle to resolve distinct nematic fields within curved or multilayer structures. Here, we introduce NEMO, a modular Python framework for the depth-resolved quantification of tangential nematic order and surface morphology. By reconstructing biological surfaces as triangulated meshes, NEMO projects curved intensity layers, extracts local nematic directors, and computes locally averaged nematic tensors within the tangent plane. The pipeline identifies topological defects and computes their topological charge by accounting for the Gaussian curvature of the underlying surface. Furthermore, NEMO quantifies tissue morphology through inter-surface distance and surface-fitted estimates of Gaussian and mean curvatures. We show the capacities of this framework using a synthetic nematic film on a vesicle and experimental actin organisation in Hydra. By combining customisable projections with surface-constrained analysis, NEMO provides a unified framework for quantifying the interplay between orientational order and geometry across scales.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2023

Density-polarity coupling in confined active polar films: asters, spirals, and biphasic orientational phases

Topological defects in active polar fluids can organise spontaneous flows and influence macroscopic density patterns. Both of them play, for example, an important role during animal development. Yet the influence of density on active flows is poorly understood. Motivated by experiments on cell monolayers confined to discs, we study the coupling between density and polar order for a compressible active polar fluid in presence of a +1 topological defect. As in the experiments, we find a density-controlled spiral-to-aster transition. In addition, biphasic orientational phases emerge as a generic outcome of such coupling. Our results highlight the importance of density gradients as a potential mechanism for controlling flow and orientational patterns in biological systems.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2020

Measuring transferability issues in machine-learning force fields: The example of Gold-Iron interactions with linearized potentials

Machine-learning force fields have been increasingly employed in order to extend the possibility of current first-principles calculations. However, the transferability of the obtained potential can not always be guaranteed in situations that are outside the original database. To study such limitation, we examined the very difficult case of the interactions in gold-iron nanoparticles. For the machine-learning potential, we employed a linearized formulation that is parameterized using a penalizing regression scheme which allows us to control the complexity of the obtained potential. We showed that while having a more complex potential allows for a better agreement with the training database, it can also lead to overfitting issues and a lower accuracy in untrained systems.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2020

Integer topological defects of cell monolayers -- mechanics and flows

Monolayers of anisotropic cells exhibit long-ranged orientational order and topological defects. During the development of organisms, orientational order often influences morphogenetic events. However, the linkage between the mechanics of cell monolayers and topological defects remains largely unexplored. This holds specifically at the time scales relevant for tissue morphogenesis. Here, we build on the physics of liquid crystals to determine material parameters of cell monolayers. In particular, we use a hydrodynamical description of an active polar fluid to study the steady-state mechanical patterns at integer topological defects. Our description includes three distinct sources of activity: traction forces accounting for cell-substrate interactions as well as anisotropic and isotropic active nematic stresses accounting for cell-cell interactions. We apply our approach to C2C12 cell monolayers in small circular confinements, which form isolated aster or spiral topological defects. By analyzing the velocity and orientational order fields in spirals as well as the forces and cell number density fields in asters, we determine mechanical parameters of C2C12 cell monolayers. Our work shows how topological defects can be used to fully characterize the mechanical properties of biological active matter.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2020

Quantifying material properties of cell monolayers by analyzing integer topological defects

In developing organisms, internal cellular processes generate mechanical stresses at the tissue scale. The resulting deformations depend on the material properties of the tissue, which can exhibit long-ranged orientational order and topological defects. It remains a challenge to determine these properties on the time scales relevant for developmental processes. Here, we build on the physics of liquid crystals to determine material parameters of cell monolayers. Specifically, we use a hydrodynamic description to characterize the stationary states of compressible active polar fluids around defects. We illustrate our approach by analyzing monolayers of C2C12 cells in small circular confinements, where they form a single topological defect with integer charge. We find that such monolayers exert compressive stresses at the defect centers, where localized cell differentiation and formation of three-dimensional shapes is observed.

cond-mat.soft↗