Objective The development of non-equilibrium statistical physics has provided a powerful tool to understand anddescribe the collective dynamics of a wide range of chemical, biological and social systems. In thisframework, active matter has raised as one of the most significant topics in this domain, mainlyaddressing the features of many-body dynamics with self-propelled units such as bacteria colonies, birdflocks and pedestrians walks. Based on the observation of collective motion like size synchronization andwave propagation in epithelial tissues, we will introduce a new class of active matter models tounderstand the microscopic physical mechanisms underlying these dynamics. Motivated by the physicalcomplexity of biological units, we will extend the concept of activity to the ability of the individualparticle to change an internal degree of freedom, related to its size or to an energetic landscape, and wewill explore the non-equilibrium phase transitions and collective behavior originating from this property.Our research project consists of three main objectives: (i) we will first extensively investigate the phasediagram of actively deforming particles, and compare it to the experimental observations to capture theessential mechanisms of phase transitions and wave propagation; (ii) we will then explore the interplaybetween phase synchronization and microscopic energy landscapes to understand the minimal ingredientsfor liquid-liquid phase separation, where two fluids spontaneously separate from a mixed phase; (iii) wewill finally study the energetics of these models, quantifying the energy gain/cost of each phase andstudying how phase transitions can be optimized. The exploration of these models represents a potentialbreakthrough in the physics of soft matter, clarifying the microscopic ingredients at the basis of severalchemical and biological dynamics and introducing a fertile ground for the emergence of new physics. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriologynatural sciencesphysical sciencescondensed matter physicssoft matter physics Programme(s) HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme Topic(s) HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01-01 - MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021 Call for proposal HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme HORIZON-AG-UN - HORIZON Unit Grant Coordinator UNIVERSITE DU LUXEMBOURG Net EU contribution € 175 920,00 Address 2 avenue de l'universite 4365 Esch-sur-alzette Luxembourg See on map Region Luxembourg Luxembourg Luxembourg Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window EU contribution No data
