Speaker
Description
Body rigidity of C. elegans in dense, quasi-2D populations is known to affect their collective self-organization: stiffer dpy-5 mutants form locally aligned active nematic phase with ±1/2 topological defects, whereas flexible wild-type worms remain disordered. As a follow-up, we investigate the non-reciprocal local interactions and mechanical properties of constituent worms with different gaits in uniformly mixed samples of ERT60 (with a helically twisted body) and ERT106 worms in various compositions. We aim to determine how the relative fraction of each gait shapes a transition from an isotropic state to collective order, and whether heterogeneity, such as motility-induced phase separation, spontaneously emerges from the initial uniform mix. Using biological sample preparation, brightfield and fluorescence microscopy, and image processing, we quantify structural and dynamical properties through g(r), g$_2$(r), mean squared displacement, van Hove function, and topological defects. Initial results of the work currently in progress will be discussed.
Other Fields of Research (Track) for Abstract
Biophysics
| Nature of work | Experimental |
|---|