arXiv subjects

Da Gao

Publications and source records attributed to Da Gao.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Cell size and confinement drive asymmetric cell division through a cortical instability

Asymmetric cell division -- in which a mother cell divides into two daughter cells of unequal size -- is a fundamental problem in biology. It is believed that the asymmetry originates from the prior polarization of the mother cell. Here we show that division asymmetry can occur spontaneously even in unpolarized mother cells. Specifically, curvature-dependent active stresses in the cell cortex can lead to this symmetry breaking without any molecular polarity cue if the mother cell is confined within a restricted space. Either reducing the cell size or tightening mechanical confinement triggers the same spontaneous symmetry-breaking instability, in which the contractile ring slips off the equator to yield daughters of unequal volume. In the presence of a polarity cue, this instability cooperates with the cue to program the division asymmetry. The model prediction is compared with the imaging data of C. elegans embryogenesis, in which successive cell divisions in a confined eggshell lead to smaller and smaller cell sizes. The measured division asymmetry indeed increases as the cells shrink, and is further amplified when the embryo is mechanically compressed, both in agreement with the model prediction.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2026

Confinement-Induced Symmetry Breaking of Active Surfaces

The actomyosin cortex, a thin layer of a cross-linked polymer network near the cell surface, generates active forces that are responsible for cell shape changes. Many developmental processes that involve such cell shape changes, most prominently embryonic cell division, are spatially confined by eggshells. To investigate the potential role of confinement in redirecting active stresses and enabling symmetry breaking phenomena during cell shape transformations, we study a hydrodynamic minimal model in which the cell cortex is represented as an active fluid surface that undergoes symmetric division in the absence of confinement. When enclosed by an ellipsoidal shell, a spontaneous symmetry-breaking transition emerges at a critical degree of confinement, where symmetrically dividing surfaces become unstable and polarized geometries appear. We show that this transition is controlled by the tightness of the confinement and analyze the solution space of stationary surfaces to identify the mechanisms underlying confinement-induced symmetry breaking.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2025

Self-organized dynamics and emergent shape spaces of active isotropic fluid surfaces

Theories of self-organized active fluid surfaces have emerged as an important class of minimal models for the shape dynamics of biological membranes, cells and tissues. However, due to their inherent geometric nonlinearities and the absence of general minimization principles in active systems, it remains a major challenge to systematically study the emergent shape spaces such theories give rise to. Here, we introduce a novel variational approach that allows for a direct computation of stationary surface geometries and flows, which enables the classification of non-equilibrium phase transitions in shape spaces described by active surface theories. To achieve this, we construct a dissipation functional systematically from the entropy production in active surfaces and show how generic symmetries imposed by Onsager relations can be exploited to also account for reactive non-dissipative terms in constitutive laws. This functional is supplemented by Lagrange multipliers that relax nonlinear geometric constraints, which leads to a tractable variational problem suitable for implicit dynamic simulations and explicit calculations of non-trivial steady state geometries and flows. We apply this framework to study the dynamics of open fluid membranes and closed active fluid surfaces, and characterize the space of stationary solutions that corresponding surfaces and flows occupy. These analyses rationalize the interplay of first-order shape transitions of internally and externally forced fluid membranes, reveal degenerate regions in stationary shape spaces of mechanochemically active surfaces and identify a mechanism by which hydrodynamic screening controls the geometry of active surfaces undergoing cell division-like shape transformations.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2023

Hyperuniform disordered parametric loudspeaker array

A steerable parametric loudspeaker array is known for its directivity and narrow beam width. However, it often suffers from the grating lobes due to periodic array distributions. Here we propose the array configuration of hyperuniform disorder, which is short-range random while correlated at large scales, as a promising alternative distribution of acoustic antennas in phased arrays. Angle-resolved measurements reveal that the proposed array suppresses grating lobes and maintains a minimal radiation region in the vicinity of the main lobe for the primary frequency waves. These distinctive emission features benefit the secondary frequency wave in canceling the grating lobes regardless of the frequencies of the primary waves. Besides that, the hyperuniform disordered array is duplicatable, which facilitates extra-large array design without any additional computational efforts.

eess.AS↗

arXiv2006

5f Delocalization of Bulk FCC Americium and the (111) Surface: A FP-LAPW Electronic Structure Study

The electronic properties of bulk fcc americium and the (111) surface have been investigated with the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method as implemented in the WIEN2K suite of programs. The study is carried out for the anti-ferromagnetic ground state of Am at different levels of theory: (1) scalar-relativity vs. full-relativity; (2) local-density approximation (LDA) vs. generalized-gradient approximation (GGA). Our results indicate that spin orbit coupling plays an important role in determining the electronic properties of both bulk fcc americium and the (111) surface. In general, LDA is found to give a higher total energy compared to GGA results. The spin orbit coupling shows a similar effect on the surface calculations regardless of the model, GGA versus LDA. The 5f localized-delocalized transition of americium is employed to explain our results. In addition, the quantum size effects in the surface energies and the work functions of fcc (111) americium ultra thin films (UTF) are also examined.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

On the Convergence of the Electronic Structure Properties of the FCC Americium (001) Surface

Electronic and magnetic properties of the fcc Americium (001) surface have been investigated via full-potential all-electron density-functional electronic structure calculations at both scalar and fully relativistic levels. Effects of various theoretical approximations on the fcc Am (001) surface properties have been thoroughly examined. The ground state of fcc Am (001) surface is found to be anti-ferromagnetic with spin-orbit coupling included (AFM-SO). At the ground state, the magnetic moment of fcc Am (001) surface is predicted to be zero. Our current study predicts the semi-infinite surface energy and the work function for fcc Am (001) surface at the ground state to be approximately 0.82 J/m2 and 2.93 eV respectively. In addition, the quantum size effects of surface energy and work function on the fcc Am (001) surface have been examined up to 7 layers at various theoretical levels. Results indicate that a three layer film surface model may be sufficient for future atomic and molecular adsorption studies on the fcc Am (001) surface, if the primary quantity of interest is the chemisorption energy.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2005

The 5f localization/delocalization in square and hexagonal americium monolayers: A FP-LAPW electronic structure study

The electronic and geometrical properties of bulk americium and square and hexagonal americium monolayers have been studied with the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method. The effects of several common approximations are examined: (1) non-spin polarization (NSP) vs. spin polarization (SP); (2) scalar-relativity (no spin-orbit coupling (NSO)) vs. full-relativity (i.e., with spin-orbit (SO) coupling included); (3) local-density approximation (LDA) vs. generalized-gradient approximation (GGA). Our results indicate that both spin polarization and spin orbit coupling play important roles in determining the geometrical and electronic properties of americium bulk and monolayers. A compression of both americium square and hexagonal monolayers compared to the americium bulk is also observed. In general, the LDA is found to underestimate the equilibrium lattice constant and give a larger total energy compared to the GGA calculations. While spin orbit coupling shows a similar effect on both square and hexagonal monolayer calculations regardless of the model, GGA versus LDA, an unusual spin polarization effect on both square and hexagonal monolayers is found in the LDA results as compared with the GGA results. The 5f delocalization transition of americium is employed to explain our observed unusual spin polarization effect. In addition, our results at the LDA level of theory indicate a possible 5f delocalization could happen in the americium surface within the same Am II (fcc crystal structure) phase, unlike the usually reported americium 5f delocalization which is associated with crystal structure change. The similarities and dissimilarities between the properties of an Am monolayer and a Pu monolayer are discussed in detail.

cond-mat.str-el↗