Self-organizing dynamics in active elastic systems (Prof. Cristian Huepe, CHuepe Labs Inc., Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems, Northwestern University)

Self-organizing dynamics in active elastic systems

Self-organization is often observed in active matter systems such as cell colonies, developing tissue, insect swarms, bird flocks, and groups of autonomous robots. Its emergence in fluid-like systems of self-propelled agents with aligning interactions has been the focus of intense research, and can be viewed as a decentralized consensus process on local heading directions. By contrast, active elastic dynamics, which result from position-based interactions similar to attraction-repulsion forces and cannot be directly mapped to consensus processes, are much less understood. In this talk, I will present simple models of active elastic dynamics and explore their characteristic features, including: energy cascades, mode selection, long-range correlations, active crystallization, active jamming, and persistent oscillations.