Absolute negative mobility of active polymer chains in steady laminar flows

Area of Science:

• Soft Matter Physics
• Polymer Dynamics
• Non-equilibrium Statistical Mechanics

Background:

• Active polymer chains exhibit complex behaviors in flow.
• Understanding their transport is crucial for non-equilibrium systems.
• Worm-like chains possess unique spatial structures influencing dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the transport of active polymer chains in steady laminar flows.
• Analyze movement patterns under thermal noise and external forces.
• Characterize the velocity-force relationship and negative mobility phenomena.

Main Methods:

• Computational modeling of worm-like active polymer chains.
• Simulations incorporating active propulsion, thermal noise, and external forces.
• Analysis of velocity-force relations and parameter dependencies.

Main Results:

• Active polymer chains show richer movement patterns than Brownian particles.
• Velocity-force relation is highly sensitive to parameters like chain length and rigidity.
• Observed absolute negative mobility, where chains move against the applied force.
• Giant negative mobility demonstrated across a wide range of parameter regimes.

Conclusions:

• Active polymer chains exhibit unique transport properties in laminar flows.
• Negative mobility is a significant characteristic, controllable via system parameters.
• Findings offer insights into active matter dynamics and potential applications.