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Vincenzo Vitelli

Publications and source records attributed to Vincenzo Vitelli.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
arXiv2023

Odd elasticity in driven granular matter

Odd elasticity describes the unusual elastic response of solids whose stress-strain relationship is not compatible with an elastic potential. Here, we present a study of odd elasticity in a driven granular matter system composed of grains with ratchet-like interparticle friction and activated by oscillatory shear. We find that the system permits a time-averaged elasticity theory featuring nonzero odd elastic coefficients. These coefficients are explicitly measured using molecular dynamics simulations and can be predicted and tuned from microscopics. In the presence of disorder, our driven granular material displays distinctive properties ranging from self-healing grain boundaries in polycrystalline systems to chiral plastic vortices and force chain deflection in amorphous packings. Beyond granular matter, our work motivates the search for microscopic transduction mechanisms that convert periodic nonuniform drive into uniform elastic properties of active solids.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2023

Universal wrinkling of freestanding atomically thin films

Atomically thin films, like transition metal dichalcogenides, can now be synthesized at wafer scale, achieving the same extreme aspect ratio (~10^8) that a sheet of paper would have if it covered an entire city. Yet, the intrinsic (i.e. unconfined) three-dimensional shape of these extreme membranes remains a mystery because of the very fundamentals of mechanical measurements: to measure such an ultra-thin film, one first needs to simultaneously free it and stabilize it without introducing confining boundaries. Here, we introduce a counter-intuitive solution to this problem: place atomically thin films on water. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Raman spectroscopy adapted to water's surface, we reveal that large-scale freestanding membranes spontaneously self-wrinkle into a universal mechanical state with long emergent length scales that follow robust scaling trends. Our analytical and numerical models suggest that these universal trends are controlled by mesoscopic parameters of the polycrystalline domains instead of atomistic details. Moreover, we demonstrate experimentally that the wrinkles result in a large and tunable reduction of elastic stiffness by up to 2 orders of magnitude. The present work illuminates the physical properties of the world's thinnest materials at length scales never probed before and highlights their potential for tunable strain-controlled nanomechanical devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗
arXiv2023

Motor crosslinking augments elasticity in active nematics

In active materials, uncoordinated internal stresses lead to emergent long-range flows. An understanding of how the behavior of active materials depends on mesoscopic (hydrodynamic) parameters is developing, but there remains a gap in knowledge concerning how hydrodynamic parameters depend on the properties of microscopic elements. In this work, we combine experiments and multiscale modeling to relate the structure and dynamics of active nematics composed of biopolymer filaments and molecular motors to their microscopic properties, in particular motor processivity, speed, and valency. We show that crosslinking of filaments by both motors and passive crosslinkers not only augments the contributions to nematic elasticity from excluded volume effects but dominates them. By altering motor kinetics we show that a competition between motor speed and crosslinking results in a nonmonotonic dependence of nematic flow on motor speed. By modulating passive filament crosslinking we show that energy transfer into nematic flow is in large part dictated by crosslinking. Thus motor proteins both generate activity and contribute to nematic elasticity. Our results provide new insights for rationally engineering active materials.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2023

Exceptional points in nonlinear and stochastic dynamics

We study a class of bifurcations generically occurring in dynamical systems with non-mutual couplings ranging from models of coupled neurons to predator-prey systems and non-linear oscillators. In these bifurcations, extended attractors such as limit cycles, limit tori, and strange attractors merge and split in a similar way as fixed points in a pitchfork bifurcation. We show that this merging and splitting coincides with the coalescence of covariant Lyapunov vectors with vanishing Lyapunov exponents, generalizing the notion of exceptional points to non-linear dynamical systems. We distinguish two classes of bifurcations, corresponding respectively to continuous and discontinuous behaviors of the covariant Lyapunov vectors at the transition. We outline some physical consequences of generalized exceptional points on the dynamics of the system, including non-reciprocal responses, the destruction of isochrons, and enhanced sensitivity to noise. We illustrate our results with concrete examples from neuroscience, ecology, and physics. When applied to interpret existing experimental observations, our analysis suggests a simple explanation for the non-trivial phase delays observed in the population dynamics of plankton communities and the recently measured statistics of rotation reversals for a solid body immersed in a Rayleigh-Bénard convection cell.

nlin.CD↗
arXiv2023

Spiking at the edge

Excitable media, ranging from bioelectric tissues and chemical oscillators to forest fires and competing populations, are nonlinear, spatially extended systems capable of spiking. Most investigations of excitable media consider situations where the amplifying and suppressing forces necessary for spiking coexist at every point in space. In this case, spiking requires a fine-tuned ratio between local amplification and suppression strengths. But, in Nature and engineered systems, these forces can be segregated in space, forming structures like interfaces and boundaries. Here, we show how boundaries can generate and protect spiking if the reacting components can spread out: even arbitrarily weak diffusion can cause spiking at the edge between two non-excitable media. This edge spiking is a robust phenomenon that can occur even if the ratio between amplification and suppression does not allow spiking when the two sides are homogeneously mixed. We analytically derive a spiking phase diagram that depends on two parameters: (i) the ratio between the system size and the characteristic diffusive length-scale, and (ii) the ratio between the amplification and suppression strengths. Our analysis explains recent experimental observations of action potentials at the interface between two non-excitable bioelectric tissues. Beyond electrophysiology, we highlight how edge spiking emerges in predator-prey dynamics and in oscillating chemical reactions. Our findings provide a theoretical blueprint for a class of interfacial excitations in reaction-diffusion systems, with potential implications for spatially controlled chemical reactions, nonlinear waveguides and neuromorphic computation, as well as spiking instabilities, such as cardiac arrhythmias, that naturally occur in heterogeneous biological media.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2023

Zyxin is all you need: machine learning adherent cell mechanics

Cellular form and function emerge from complex mechanochemical systems within the cytoplasm. No systematic strategy currently exists to infer large-scale physical properties of a cell from its many molecular components. This is a significant obstacle to understanding biophysical processes such as cell adhesion and migration. Here, we develop a data-driven biophysical modeling approach to learn the mechanical behavior of adherent cells. We first train neural networks to predict forces generated by adherent cells from images of cytoskeletal proteins. Strikingly, experimental images of a single focal adhesion protein, such as zyxin, are sufficient to predict forces and generalize to unseen biological regimes. This protein field alone contains enough information to yield accurate predictions even if forces themselves are generated by many interacting proteins. We next develop two approaches - one explicitly constrained by physics, the other more agnostic - that help construct data-driven continuum models of cellular forces using this single focal adhesion field. Both strategies consistently reveal that cellular forces are encoded by two different length scales in adhesion protein distributions. Beyond adherent cell mechanics, our work serves as a case study for how to integrate neural networks in the construction of predictive phenomenological models in cell biology, even when little knowledge of the underlying microscopic mechanisms exist.

physics.bio-ph↗
arXiv2022

Odd elasticity and topological waves in active surfaces

Odd elasticity encompasses active elastic systems whose stress-strain relationship is not compatible with a potential energy. As the requirement of energy conservation is lifted from linear elasticity, new anti-symmetric (odd) components appear in the elastic tensor. In this work, we study the odd elasticity and non-Hermitian wave dynamics of active surfaces, specifically plates of moderate thickness. We find that a free-standing moderately thick, isotropic plate can exhibit two odd-elastic moduli, both of which are related to shear deformations of the plate. These odd moduli can endow the vibrational modes of the plate with a nonzero topological invariant known as the first Chern number. Within continuum elastic theory, we show that the Chern number is related to the presence of unidirectional shearing waves that are hosted at the plate's boundary. We show that the existence of these chiral edge waves hinges on a distinctive two-step mechanism: the finite thickness of the sample gaps the shear modes and the odd elasticity endows them with chirality.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2022

Odd Viscosity and Odd Elasticity

Elasticity typically refers to a material's ability to store energy, while viscosity refers to a material's tendency to dissipate it. In this review, we discuss fluids and solids for which this is not the case. These materials display additional linear response coefficients known as odd viscosity and odd elasticity. We first introduce odd elasticity and odd viscosity from a continuum perspective, with an emphasis on their rich phenomenology, including transverse responses, modified dislocation dynamics, and topological waves. We then provide an overview of systems that display odd viscosity and odd elasticity. These systems range from quantum fluids, to astrophysical gasses, to active and driven matter. Finally, we comment on microscopic mechanisms by which odd elasticity and odd viscosity arise.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2022

Limit cycles turn active matter into robots

Active matter composed of energy-generating microscopic constituents is a promising platform to create autonomous functional materials. However, the very presence of these microscopic energy sources is what makes active matter prone to dynamical instabilities and hence hard to control. Here, we show that these instabilities can be coaxed into work-generating limit cycles that turn active matter into robots. We illustrate this general principle in odd active media, model systems whose interaction forces are as simple as textbook molecular bonds yet not constrained to be the gradient of a potential. These emergent robotic functionalities are demonstrated by revisiting what is arguably the oldest of inventions: the wheel. Unlike common wheels that are driven by external torques, an odd wheel undergoes work-generating limit cycles that allow it to roll autonomously uphill by virtue of its own deformation, as demonstrated by our prototypes. Similarly, familiar scattering phenomena, like a ball bouncing off a wall, turn into basic robotic manipulations when either the ball or the wall is odd. Using continuum mechanics, we reveal collective robotic mechanisms that steer the outcome of collisions or influence the absorption of impacts in experiments. Beyond robotics, work-generating limit cycles can also control the non-linear dynamics of active soft materials, biological systems and driven nanomechanical devices.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2022

The odd ideal gas: Hall viscosity and thermal conductivity from non-Hermitian kinetic theory

The flow of momentum and energy in a fluid is typically associated with dissipative transport coefficients: viscosity and thermal conductivity. Fluids that break certain symmetries such as mirror symmetry and time-reversal invariance can display non-dissipative transport coefficients called odd (or Hall) viscosities and thermal conductivities. The goal of this paper is to elucidate the microscopic origin of these dissipationless transport coefficients using kinetic theory. We show that odd viscosity and odd thermal conductivity arise when the linearized collision operator is not Hermitian. This symmetry breaking occurs when collisions are chiral, i.e. not mirror symmetric. To capture this feature in a minimalistic way, we introduce a modified relaxation time approximation in which the distribution function is rotated by an angle characterizing the average chirality of the collisions. In the limit of an infinitesimal rotation, the effect of the parity-violating collisions can be described as an emergent effective magnetic field.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv2022

Stokes flows in three-dimensional fluids with odd and parity-violating viscosities

The Stokes equation describes the motion of fluids when inertial forces are negligible compared to viscous forces. In this article, we explore the consequence of parity-violating and non-dissipative (i.e. odd) viscosities on Stokes flows in three dimensions. Parity-violating viscosities are coefficients of the viscosity tensor that are not invariant under mirror reflections of space, while odd viscosities are those which do not contribute to dissipation of mechanical energy. These viscosities can occur in systems ranging from synthetic and biological active fluids to magnetised and rotating fluids. We first systematically enumerate all possible parity-violating viscosities compatible with cylindrical symmetry, highlighting their connection to potential microscopic realizations. Then, using a combination of analytical and numerical methods, we analyze the effects of parity-violating viscosities on the Stokeslet solution, on the flow past a sphere or a bubble, and on many-particle sedimentation. In all the cases we analyze, parity-violating viscosities give rise to an azimuthal flow even when the driving force is parallel to the axis of cylindrical symmetry. For a few sedimenting particles, the azimuthal flow bends the trajectories compared to a traditional Stokes flow. For a cloud of particles, the azimuthal flow impedes the transformation of the spherical cloud into a torus and the subsequent breakup into smaller parts that would otherwise occur. The presence of azimuthal flows in cylindrically symmetric systems (sphere, bubble, cloud of particles) can serve as a probe for parity-violating viscosities in experimental systems.

physics.flu-dyn↗
arXiv2021

Topological defects in solids with odd elasticity

Crystallography typically studies collections of point particles whose interaction forces are the gradient of a potential. Lifting this assumption generically gives rise in the continuum limit to a form of elasticity with additional moduli known as odd elasticity. We show that such odd elastic moduli modify the strain induced by topological defects and their interactions, even reversing the stability of, otherwise, bound dislocation pairs. Beyond continuum theory, isolated dislocations can self propel via microscopic work cycles active at their cores that compete with conventional Peach-Koehler forces caused, for example, by an ambient torque density. We perform molecular dynamics simulations isolating active plastic processes and discuss their experimental relevance to solids composed of spinning particles, vortex-like objects, and robotic metamaterials.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2021

Systematic generation of Hamiltonian families with dualities

Dualities are hidden symmetries that map seemingly unrelated physical systems onto each other. The goal of this work is to systematically construct families of Hamiltonians endowed with a given duality and to provide a universal description of Hamiltonians families near self-dual points. We focus on tight-binding models (also known as coupled-mode theories), which provide an effective description of systems composed of coupled harmonic oscillators across physical domains. We start by considering the general case in which group-theoretical arguments suffice to construct families of Hamiltonians with dualities by combining irreducible representations of the duality operation in parameter space and in operator space. When additional constraints due to system specific features are present, a purely group theoretic approach is no longer sufficient. To overcome this complication, we reformulate the existence of a duality as a minimization problem which is amenable to standard optimization and numerical continuation algorithms. Combined with existing procedures to physically implement coupled-resonator Hamiltonians, our approach enables on demand design of photonic, mechanical, thermal, or electronic metamaterials with dualities.

physics.app-ph↗
arXiv2021

Topological active matter

Active matter encompasses different nonequilibrium systems in which individual constituents convert energy into non-conservative forces or motion at the microscale. This review provides an elementary introduction to the role of topology in active matter through experimentally relevant examples. Here, the focus lies on topological defects and topologically protected edge modes with an emphasis on the distinctive properties they acquire in active media. These paradigmatic examples represent two physically distinct classes of phenomena whose robustness can be traced to a common mathematical origin: the presence of topological invariants. These invariants are typically integer numbers that cannot be changed by continuous deformations of the relevant order parameters or physical parameters of the underlying medium. We first explain the mechanisms whereby topological defects self propel and proliferate in active nematics, leading to collective states which can be manipulated by geometry and patterning. Possible implications for active microfluidics and biological tissues are presented. We then illustrate how the propagation of waves in active fluids and solids is affected by the presence of topological invariants characterizing their dispersion relations. We discuss the relevance of these ideas for the design of robotic metamaterials and the properties of active granular and colloidal systems. Open theoretical and experimental challenges are presented as future research prospects.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2021

Realization of active metamaterials with odd micropolar elasticity

Materials made from active, living, or robotic components can display emergent properties arising from local sensing and computation. Here, we realize a freestanding active metabeam with piezoelectric elements and electronic feed-forward control that gives rise to an odd micropolar elasticity absent in energy-conserving media. The non-reciprocal odd modulus enables bending and shearing cycles that convert electrical energy into mechanical work, and vice versa. The sign of this elastic modulus is linked to a non-Hermitian topological index that determines the localization of vibrational modes to sample boundaries. At finite frequency, we can also tune the phase angle of the active modulus to produce a direction-dependent bending modulus and control non-Hermitian vibrational properties. Our continuum approach, built on symmetries and conservation laws, could be exploited to design others systems such as synthetic biofilaments and membranes with feed-forward control loops.

physics.app-ph↗
arXiv2021

Active viscoelasticity of odd materials

The mechanical response of active media ranging from biological gels to living tissues is governed by a subtle interplay between viscosity and elasticity. In this Letter, we generalize the canonical Kelvin-Voigt and Maxwell models to active viscoelastic media that break both parity and time-reversal symmetries. The resulting continuum theories exhibit viscous and elastic tensors that are both antisymmetric, or odd, under exchange of pairs of indices. We analyze how these parity violating viscoelastic coefficients determine the relaxation mechanisms and wave-propagation properties of odd materials.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2021

Non-reciprocal phase transitions

Out of equilibrium, the lack of reciprocity is the rule rather than the exception. Non-reciprocal interactions occur, for instance, in networks of neurons, directional growth of interfaces, and synthetic active materials. While wave propagation in non-reciprocal media has recently been under intense study, less is known about the consequences of non-reciprocity on the collective behavior of many-body systems. Here, we show that non-reciprocity leads to time-dependent phases where spontaneously broken symmetries are dynamically restored. The resulting phase transitions are controlled by spectral singularities called exceptional points. We describe the emergence of these phases using insights from bifurcation theory and non-Hermitian quantum mechanics. Our approach captures non-reciprocal generalizations of three archetypal classes of self-organization out of equilibrium: synchronization, flocking and pattern formation. Collective phenomena in these non-reciprocal systems range from active time-(quasi)crystals to exceptional-point enforced pattern-formation and hysteresis. Our work paves the way towards a general theory of critical phenomena in non-reciprocal matter.

cond-mat.soft↗