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Characteristic features of an active polar filament pushing a load

by Prabhakar Maurya, Shalabh K. Anand, and Sunil P. Singh

Submission summary

Authors (as registered SciPost users):

SUNIL PRATAP SINGH

Abstract

We present the structural and dynamical behavior of an active polar filament, which is pushing loads of different magnitudes and sizes using overdamped Langevin dynamics simulations. By changing the bending rigidity and the connectivity between the filament and the load, we smoothly vary the filament’s boundary conditions from pivoted to clamped. For the pivot boundary conditions, the active polar filament buckles and displays various fascinating dynamical phases: snake-like motion, rotational motion, bent shape conformations, and helical structures. However, in clamped boundary conditions, the helical phase disappears, and the filament attains either an extended state or a bent state. The transition from the extended-state conformation to the helical state is demarcated using the global helical order parameter in the parameter space of active force and a quantity associated with the boundary condition. We have obtained various power laws relating to the curvature radius of the helical phase, effective diffusivity, and rotational motion of the monomers with the active force. Additionally, we demonstrate that the filament’s effective diffusivity in the helical phase shows a non-monotonic trend with the active force, increasing linearly followed by a sharp reduction at a high strength of the active force.

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