Geometry of Wave Propagation on Active Deformable Surfaces
Name
PhysRevLett.120.268001.pdf
Size
533.64 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
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Author(s)
Miller, Pearson Whitehead
Stoop, Norbert
Dunkel, Joern
Date Issued
June 2018
Journal
Physical Review Letters
Publisher
American Physical Society
Citation
Miller, Pearson W. et al. "Geometry of Wave Propagation on Active Deformable Surfaces." Physics Review Letters 120, 26 (June 2018): 268001 © 2018 American Physical Society
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Fundamental biological and biomimetic processes, from tissue morphogenesis to soft robotics, rely on the propagation of chemical and mechanical surface waves to signal and coordinate active force generation. The complex interplay between surface geometry and contraction wave dynamics remains poorly understood, but it will be essential for the future design of chemically driven soft robots and active materials. Here, we couple prototypical chemical wave and reaction-diffusion models to non-Euclidean shell mechanics to identify and characterize generic features of chemomechanical wave propagation on active deformable surfaces. Our theoretical framework is validated against recent data from contractile wave measurements on ascidian and starfish oocytes, producing good quantitative agreement in both cases. The theory is then applied to illustrate how geometry and preexisting discrete symmetries can be utilized to focus active elastic surface waves. We highlight the practical potential of chemomechanical coupling by demonstrating spontaneous wave-induced locomotion of elastic shells of various geometries. Altogether, our results show how geometry, elasticity, and chemical signaling can be harnessed to construct dynamically adaptable, autonomously moving mechanical surface waveguides.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mathematics
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.268001
