Collective States of Active Particles With Elastic Dipolar Interactions

Many types of animal cells exert active, contractile forces and mechanically deform their elastic substrate, to accomplish biological functions such as migration. These substrate deformations provide a mechanism in principle by which may sense other cells, leading long-range mechanical inter–cell interactions possible self-organization. Here, inspired cell mechanobiology, we propose an active matter model comprising self-propelling particles that interact at distance through mutual substrate. By combining minimal for the motility individual with linear accounts substrate-mediated, inter–particle interactions, examine emergent collective states result from interplay dipolar interactions. In particular, show self-assemble into flexible, motile chains can cluster form diverse larger-scale compact structures polar order. computing key structural dynamical metrics, distinguish between weak strong interaction strength, well low high motility. We also how these are affected confinement within channel geometry–an important characteristic complex micro-environment inhabited cells. Our predictions be generally applicable ranging synthetic colloids endowed electric or magnetic dipole moments.