Field-mediated interactions of passive and conformation-active particles: multibody and retardation effects

Abstract

Particles in soft matter interact through the deformation field they create, as in the “cheerios” effect or the curvature-mediated interactions of membrane proteins. Using a simple model for field-mediated interactions between passive particles, or active particles that switch conformation randomly or synchronously, we derive generic results concerning multibody interactions, activity driven patterns, and retardation effects.