arXiv subjects

Marine Le Blay

Publications and source records attributed to Marine Le Blay.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Control of collective activity to crystallize an oscillator gas

Motility-induced phase separation occurs in assemblies of self-propelled units when activity is coupled negatively to density. In contrast, the consequences of a positive coupling between density and activity on the collective behaviour of active matter remain unexplored. Here, we show that collective activity can emerge from such a positive coupling among non-motile building blocks. We perform experiments with self-sustained oscillators powered by contact-charge electrophoresis. Although the oscillators are non-motile by design, they spontaneously form an active gas when confined together. The super-elastic nature of collisions constitutes a positive density-activity coupling and underlies the active gas properties. Elucidating the origin of binary collisions allows us to precisely control the structure of the active gas and its eventual crystallization. Beyond considering the overlooked positive coupling between density and activity, our work suggests that rich collective properties can emerge not only from the symmetry of interactions between active building blocks, but also from their adaptable and responsive behaviour.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2025

Melting of non reciprocal solids: how dislocations propel and fission in flowing crystals

When soft matter is driven out of equilibrium its constituents interact via effective interactions that escape Newton's action-reaction principle. Prominent examples include the hydrodynamic interactions between colloidal particles driven in viscous fluids, phoretic interactions between chemically active colloids, and quorum sensing interactions in bacterial colonies. Despite a recent surge of interest in non-reciprocal physics a fundamental question remains : do non-reciprocal interactions alter or strengthen the ordered phases of matter driven out of equilibrium? Here, through a combination of experiments and simulations, we show how nonreciprocal forces propel and fission dislocations formed in hydrodynamically driven Wigner crystals. We explain how dislocation motility results in the continuous reshaping of grain-boundary networks, and how their fission reaction melts driven crystals from their interfaces. Beyond the specifics of hydrodynamics, we argue theoretically that topological defects and nonreciprocal interactions should invariably conspire to deform and ultimately destroy crystals whose the elementary units defy Newton's third law

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2022

Repulsive torques alone trigger crystallization of constant speed active particles

We investigate the possibility for self-propelled particles to crystallize without reducing their intrinsic speed. We illuminate how, in the absence of any force, the competition between self-propulsion and repulsive torques determine the macroscopic phases of constant-speed active particles. This minimal model expands upon existing approaches for an improved understanding of crystallization of active matter.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2020

Flowing emulsions through disorder: Critical depinning and smectic rivers

During the past sixty minutes only, oil companies have extracted six trillions liters of oil from the ground, i.e. the volume of about two hundreds Olympic swimming pools. This phenomenal number gives a striking illustration of the impact of multiphase flows on the world economy and environment. From a fundamental perspective, we now clearly understand the large-scale patterns formed when liquid interfaces are driven through heterogeneous environments. In stark contrast, the displacement of fragmented fluids through disordered media remains limited to isolated droplets and bubbles. Here, we elucidate the collective dynamics of emulsions hydrodynamically driven through disordered environments. Advecting hundreds of thousands of microfluidic droplets through random lattices of pinning sites, we establish that the mobilization of confined emulsions is a critical dynamical transition. Unlike contact-line depinning, emulsion mobilization is not triggered by large-scale avalanches but merely requires the coordinated motion of small groups of particles. Criticality arises from the correlations of seemingly erratic depinning events over system-spanning scales along smectic river networks. We elucidate the microscopic origin of these self-organized flow patterns: contact interactions and hydrodynamic focusing conspire to mobilize emulsion out of disorder. We close our article commenting on the similarities (and profound differences) with the plastic depinning transitions of driven flux lines in high-$T_{\rm c}$ superconductors, and grain transport in eroded sand beds.

cond-mat.soft↗