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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Mechanical inhibition of dissipation in a thermodynamically consistent active solid

Luca Cocconi1,*, Michalis Chatzittofi1,†, and Ramin Golestanian1,2,‡

  • *Contact author: lc731@cam.ac.uk
  • †Contact author: mc2623@cam.ac.uk
  • ‡Contact author: ramin.golestanian@ds.mpg.de
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Phys. Rev. Research 7, L042062 – Published 16 December, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/tgyv-5vqv

Abstract

The study of active solids offers a window into the mechanics and thermodynamics of dense living matter. A key aspect of the nonequilibrium dynamics of such active systems is a mechanistic description of how the underlying mechanochemical couplings arise, which cannot be resolved in models that are phenomenologically constructed. Here, we follow a bottom-up theoretical approach to develop a thermodynamically consistent active solid model and uncover a nontrivial crosstalk that naturally ensues between mechanical response and dissipation. In particular, we show that dissipation reaches a maximum at finite stresses, while it is inhibited under large stresses, effectively reverting the system to a passive state. Our findings establish a generic mechanism plausibly responsible for the nonmonotonic behavior observed in recent experimental measurements of entropy production rate in an actomyosin material and enzymatic activity in crowded condensates.

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Phys. Rev. Research 7, L042062– Published 16 December, 2025
  • Received 23 June 2025
  • Accepted 25 November 2025
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