Kinetically arrested periodic clusters in active filament arrays

Abstract

We study spatio-temporal dynamics and pattern formation in ordered arrays of active semi-flexible filaments, each of which is pinned at one end and free at the other. The filaments are modeled as connected chains of polar active particles with activity incorporated through local follower forces acting along the local tangent of filaments. Using Brownian dynamics simulations in two dimensions, we show that for a range of activity and filament separation, the filament array self-assembles into regularly spaced, kinetically arrested compact clusters. Activity, array geometry, filament elasticity, and grafting density are each seen to crucially influence the size, shape, and spacing of these emergent clusters. Furthermore, cluster shapes for different grafting densities can be rescaled into self-similar forms with activity-dependent scaling exponents. We derive theoretical expressions that relate the number of filaments in a cluster and the spacing between adjacent clusters to filament activity, filament elasticity, and grafting density. Our results provide insight into the physical mechanisms involved in the initiation of clustering and suggest that steric contact forces and friction balance active forces and filament elasticity to shape and stabilize emergence clusters.