Talk page
Title:
Quincke oscillators: Dynamics, synchronization, and assembly of self-oscillating colloids
Speaker:
Abstract:
Dielectric particles in weakly conducting fluids rotate spontaneously when subject to strong electric fields. Such Quincke rotation near a plane electrode leads to particle translation that enables physical models of active matter. We show that Quincke rollers can also exhibit oscillatory dynamics, whereby particles move back and forth about a fixed location. We explain how oscillations arise for micron-scale particles commensurate with the thickness of a field-induced boundary layer in the nonpolar electrolyte. Collections of Quincke oscillators assemble to form low-density lattices and close-packed crystals that exhibit varying degrees of phase synchronization and orientational alignment. We discuss how hydrodynamic and electric interactions can lead to attraction or repulsion depending on the relative position, phase, and orientation of neighboring oscillators. This system provides an experimental model for active matter based on many self-oscillating units.
Link:
Workshop: