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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Phase Diagram Characterization Using Magnetic Beads as Liquid Carriers
Published on: September 4, 2015
Generic phase diagram of active polar films
R Voituriez1, J F Joanny, J Prost
1Physicochimie Curie (CNRS-UMR168), Institut Curie, Section de Recherche, 26 rue d'Ulm 75248 Paris Cedex 05 France.
Abstract:
We study theoretically the phase diagram of compressible active polar gels such as the actin network of eukaryotic cells. Using generalized hydrodynamics equations, we perform a linear stability analysis of the uniform states in the case of an infinite bidimensional active gel to obtain the dynamic phase diagram of active polar films. We predict, in particular, modulated flowing phases and a macroscopic phase separation at high activity. This qualitatively accounts for experimental observations of various active systems, such as actomyosin gels, microtubules and kinesins in vitro solutions, or swimming bacterial colonies.
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