Antonio DeSimone

Bio: Antonio DeSimone is an academic researcher from International School for Advanced Studies. The author has contributed to research in topics: Liquid crystal & Micromagnetics. The author has an hindex of 44, co-authored 214 publications receiving 5989 citations. Previous affiliations of Antonio DeSimone include Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia & California Institute of Technology.

The 2020 motile active matter roadmap

Abstract: Activity and autonomous motion are fundamental in living and engineering systems. This has stimulated the new field of 'active matter' in recent years, which focuses on the physical aspects of propulsion mechanisms, and on motility-induced emergent collective behavior of a larger number of identical agents. The scale of agents ranges from nanomotors and microswimmers, to cells, fish, birds, and people. Inspired by biological microswimmers, various designs of autonomous synthetic nano- and micromachines have been proposed. Such machines provide the basis for multifunctional, highly responsive, intelligent (artificial) active materials, which exhibit emergent behavior and the ability to perform tasks in response to external stimuli. A major challenge for understanding and designing active matter is their inherent nonequilibrium nature due to persistent energy consumption, which invalidates equilibrium concepts such as free energy, detailed balance, and time-reversal symmetry. Unraveling, predicting, and controlling the behavior of active matter is a truly interdisciplinary endeavor at the interface of biology, chemistry, ecology, engineering, mathematics, and physics. The vast complexity of phenomena and mechanisms involved in the self-organization and dynamics of motile active matter comprises a major challenge. Hence, to advance, and eventually reach a comprehensive understanding, this important research area requires a concerted, synergetic approach of the various disciplines. The 2020 motile active matter roadmap of Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter addresses the current state of the art of the field and provides guidance for both students as well as established scientists in their efforts to advance this fascinating area.

Quasistatic Evolution Problems for Linearly Elastic–Perfectly Plastic Materials

Abstract: The problem of quasistatic evolution in small strain associative elastoplasticity is studied in the framework of the variational theory for rate-independent processes. Existence of solutions is proved through the use of incremental variational problems in spaces of functions with bounded deformation. This approach provides a new approximation result for the solutions of the quasistatic evolution problem, which are shown to be absolutely continuous in time. Four equivalent formulations of the problem in rate form are derived. A strong formulation of the flow rule is obtained by introducing a precise definition of the stress on the singular set of the plastic strain.

A constrained theory of magnetoelasticity

Abstract: A simple variational theory for the macroscopic behavior of materials with high anisotropy is derived rigorously from micromagnetics. The derivation leads to a constrained theory in which the state of strain and magnetization lies very near the ‘energy wells’ on most of the body. When specialized to ellipsoidal specimens and constant applied field and stress, the theory becomes a finite dimensional quadratic programming problem. Streamlined methods for solving this problem are given. The theory is illustrated by a prediction of the magnetoelastic behavior of the giant magnetostrictive material Tb0.3Dy0.7Fe2. The theory embodies precisely the assumptions that have been postulated for ideal ferromagnetic shape memory, in which the magnetization stays rigidly attached to the easy axes of a martensitic material in the martensitic phase. More generally, the framework can be viewed as a prototype for the derivation of constrained theories for materials that change phase, and whose free-energy density grows steeply away from its minima.

Relaxation dynamics of fluid membranes.

Abstract: We study the effect of membrane viscosity in the dynamics of liquid membranes-possibly with free or internal boundaries-driven by conservative forces (curvature elasticity and line tension) and dragged by the bulk dissipation of the ambient fluid and the friction occurring when the amphiphilic molecules move relative to each other. To this end, we formulate a continuum model which includes a form of the governing equations for a two-dimensional viscous fluid moving on a curved, time-evolving surface. The effect of membrane viscosity has received very limited attention in previous continuum studies of the dynamics of fluid membranes, although recent coarse-grained discrete simulations suggest its importance. By applying our model to the study of vesiculation and membrane fusion in a simplified geometry, we conclude that membrane viscosity plays a dominant role in the relaxation dynamics of fluid membranes of sizes comparable to those found in eukaryotic cells, and is not negligible in many large synthetic systems of current interest.

Optimal Strokes for Low Reynolds Number Swimmers: An Example

Abstract: Swimming, i.e., being able to advance in the absence of external forces by performing cyclic shape changes, is particularly demanding at low Reynolds numbers. This is the regime of interest for micro-organisms and micro- or nano-robots. We focus in this paper on a simple yet representative example: the three-sphere swimmer of Najafi and Golestanian (Phys. Rev. E, 69, 062901–062904, 2004). For this system, we show how to cast the problem of swimming in the language of control theory, prove global controllability (which implies that the three-sphere swimmer can indeed swim), and propose a numerical algorithm to compute optimal strokes (which turn out to be suitably defined sub-Riemannian geodesics).

Ferromagnetic materials

Abstract: In this chapter, we will restrict our attention to the ferrites and a few other closely related materials. The great interest in ferrites stems from their unique combination of a spontaneous magnetization and a high electrical resistivity. The observed magnetization results from the difference in the magnetizations of two non-equivalent sub-lattices of the magnetic ions in the crystal structure. Materials of this type should strictly be designated as “ferrimagnetic” and in some respects are more closely related to anti-ferromagnetic substances than they are to ferromagnetics in which the magnetization results from the parallel alignment of all the magnetic moments present. We shall not adhere to this special nomenclature except to emphasize effects, which are due to the existence of the sub-lattices.

The hydrodynamics of swimming microorganisms

Abstract: Cell motility in viscous fluids is ubiquitous and affects many biological processes, including reproduction, infection and the marine life ecosystem. Here we review the biophysical and mechanical principles of locomotion at the small scales relevant to cell swimming, tens of micrometers and below. At this scale, inertia is unimportant and the Reynolds number is small. Our emphasis is on the simple physical picture and fundamental flow physics phenomena in this regime. We first give a brief overview of the mechanisms for swimming motility, and of the basic properties of flows at low Reynolds number, paying special attention to aspects most relevant for swimming such as resistance matrices for solid bodies, flow singularities and kinematic requirements for net translation. Then we review classical theoretical work on cell motility, in particular early calculations of swimming kinematics with prescribed stroke and the application of resistive force theory and slender-body theory to flagellar locomotion. After examining the physical means by which flagella are actuated, we outline areas of active research, including hydrodynamic interactions, biological locomotion in complex fluids, the design of small-scale artificial swimmers and the optimization of locomotion strategies. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version) This article was invited by Christoph Schmidt.

Wetting and Roughness

Abstract: We discuss in this review how the roughness of a solid impacts its wettability. We see in particular that both the apparent contact angle and the contact angle hysteresis can be dramatically affected by the presence of roughness. Owing to the development of refined methods for setting very well-controlled micro- or nanotextures on a solid, these effects are being exploited to induce novel wetting properties, such as spontaneous filmification, superhydrophobicity, superoleophobicity, and interfacial slip, that could not be achieved without roughness.

Physics of Liquid Crystals

Abstract: Over the 100 years since its discovery, liquid crystals have been the intriguing subject for both academia and industries. The textbook of de Gennes The Physics of Liquid Crystals published in 1974 is still the bible for many LC researchers, but new subjects unmentioned in the book have also risen for these years. This chapter describes the story of the recent developments and the future perspectives in physics of liquid crystals, especially focusing on the contributions by Japanese research groups for the last decade.