Journal
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
Volume 120, Issue 20, Pages -Publisher
AMER PHYSICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.208101
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Funding
- CelTisPhysBio Labex
- EU PRESTIGE program
- Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO/OCW) via the Frontiers of Nanoscience program
- Vidi scheme
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We investigate the large length and long time scales collective flows and structural rearrangements within in vitro human bronchial epithelial cell (HBEC) cultures. Activity-driven collective flows result in ensembles of vortices randomly positioned in space. By analyzing a large population of vortices, we show that their area follows an exponential law with a constant mean value and their rotational frequency is size independent, both being characteristic features of the chaotic dynamics of active nematic suspensions. Indeed, we find that HBECs self-organize in nematic domains of several cell lengths. Nematic defects are found at the interface between domains with a total number that remains constant due to the dynamical balance of nucleation and annihilation events. The mean velocity fields in the vicinity of defects are well described by a hydrodynamic theory of extensile active nematics.
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