Mathematical analysis

Psychology

Social psychology

Geometry

Rotation (mathematics)

Physics

Topological defect

Mathematics

Mechanics

Nucleation

Relaxation (psychology)

Turbulence

Spiral (railway)

Condensed matter physics

Boundary (topology)

Classical mechanics

Liquid crystal

Twist

Thermodynamics

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Significance Topological defects are a ubiquitous feature of diverse materials ranging from superconductors to liquid crystals. In contrast to conventional materials where defects produce static field configurations, topological defects in energy-consuming active matter acquire motility. In bulk active nematic liquid crystals, motile defects drive turbulent-like dynamics. We show that confining a model experimental active nematic converts bulk chaotic motion into coherent circulatory flows. This observation suggests the possibility of exploiting geometric design to encode the spatiotemporal dynamics of topological defects, thereby endowing synthetic materials with the self-organized capabilities heretofore mainly found in living organisms. Furthermore, qualitative differences between experimental observations and numerical solutions of hydrodynamic equations suggest improvements to widely studied but incomplete theoretical models.

Self-organized dynamics and the transition to turbulence of confined active nematics