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Updated: Oct 6, 2025

Fabricating van der Waals Heterostructures with Precise Rotational Alignment
Published on: July 5, 2019
Alignment destabilizes crystal order in active systems
Chen Huang1, Leiming Chen2, Xiangjun Xing1,3,4
1Wilczek Quantum Center, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 China.
Abstract:
We combine numerical and analytical methods to study two-dimensional active crystals formed by permanently linked swimmers and with two distinct alignment interactions. The system admits a stationary phase with quasi-long-range translational order, as well as a moving phase with quasi-long-range active force director and velocity order. The translational order in the moving phase is significantly influenced by alignment interaction. For Vicsek-like alignment, the translational order is short ranged, whereas the bond-orientational order is quasi-long ranged, implying a moving hexatic phase. For elasticity-based alignment, the translational order is quasi-long ranged parallel to the motion and short ranged in the perpendicular direction, whereas the bond orientational order is long ranged. We also generalize these results to higher dimensions.
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