Asymmetric fluctuations and self-folding of active interfaces

We study the structure and dynamics of the interface separating a passive fluid from a microtubule-based active fluid. Turbulent-like active flows power giant interfacial fluctuations, which exhibit pronounced asymmetry between regions of positive and negative curvature. Experiments, numerical simulations, and theoretical arguments reveal how the interface breaks up the spatial symmetry of the fundamental bend instability to generate local vortical flows that lead to asymmetric interface fluctuations. The magnitude of interface deformations increases with activity: In the high activity limit, the interface self-folds invaginating passive droplets and generating a foam-like phase, where active fluid is perforated with passive droplets. These results demonstrate how active stresses control the structure, dynamics, and break-up of soft, deformable, and reconfigurable liquid-liquid interfaces., , , This README.txt file was generated on 2024-12-05 by Liang Zhao # Asymmetric fluctuations and self-folding of active interfaces [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.b8gtht7n0](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.b8gtht7n0) Author: Liang Zhao Affiliation: Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 Email: [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail]) PI: Zvonimir Dogic Affiliation: Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 and Interdisciplinary Program in Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 Email: [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail]) This work was primarily supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under award number DE-SC0019733. Development and optimization of the two-phase system of active liquid–liquid phase separation was supported by NSF-ISS-2224350. We also acknowledge the use of the biosynthesis faci...