Dynamic Mechanical Phases in Active and Passive Fluids

Watch a 52-minute research lecture exploring the microscopic physical origins of nonlinear mechanical states in colloidal suspensions and active gels. Discover a novel method for resolving spatial stress distribution in sheared soft materials, with particular focus on suspensions undergoing dynamical phase transitions. Examine findings about dynamically localized regions of increased stress that appear intermittently and their relationship to shear thickening in colloidal dispersions. Learn about flow dynamics in active matter systems composed of microtubules and kinesin motor proteins, including how these self-assembling complexes demonstrate localized elasticity dependent on shear rates and internal reorganization timescales. Presented by Daniel Blair from Georgetown University at IPAM's Modeling Multi-Scale Collective Intelligences Workshop, this talk bridges fundamental physics concepts with practical applications in material science.