How to deform an egg yolk? On the study of soft matter deformation in a liquid environment

In this paper, we report a novel experimental study to examine the response of a soft capsule bathed in a liquid environment to sudden external impacts. Taking an egg yolk as an example, we found that the soft matter is not sensitive to translational impacts but is very sensitive to rotational, especially decelerating-rotational, impacts, during which the centrifugal force and the shape of the membrane together play a critical role in causing the deformation of the soft object. This finding, as the first study of its kind, reveals the fundamental physics behind the motion and deformation of a membrane-bound soft object, e.g., egg yolk, cells, and soft brain matter, in response to external impacts.

Automated summary

The study reveals that soft matter like egg yolk is sensitive to rotational impacts but not to translational impacts when in a liquid environment. The centrifugal force and the shape of the membrane play critical roles in causing deformation of the soft object during decelerating-rotational impacts. This research provides insight into the fundamental physics of motion and deformation of membrane-bound soft objects in response to external impacts.