Optimal design and pattern formation in active solids
Anton Souslov (University of Cambridge)
Active solids consume energy to allow for actuation and shape change not possible in equilibrium. I will focus on design principles for active materials with so-called odd elastic moduli, which are composed of non-reciprocal springs. We find that in floppy lattices, zero modes couple to microscopic non-reciprocity, destroying odd moduli entirely. Instead, an optimal odd lattice will be sufficiently soft to activate elastic deformations, but not too soft. I will then discuss how inertia and odd elasticity conspire and give rise to new varieties of pattern formation at the continuum scale. These results provide a theoretical underpinning for recent experiments and point to the design of novel soft machines.