• Accepted Paper

Defect states in compressible active polar fluids with renewal

Ludovic Dumoulin, Carles Blanch-Mercader, and Karsten Kruse

PRX Life - Accepted 14 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/bnx5-sryc

Abstract

Biological active matter like the cytoskeleton or tissues are characterized by their ability to transform chemical energy into mechanical stress. In addition, it often exhibits orientational order, which is essential for many cellular and morphogenetic processes. Experimental evidence suggests that defects in the orientational order field play an important role in organizing active stress. However, defects tend to annihilate unless the material is in a chaotic state or hydrodynamic interactions are suppressed. Using a hydrodynamic description of compressible active polar fluids, we show that renewal readily leads to a stabilization of defects. Depending on the renewal rate, topological defects arrange in a multitude of different phases, including lattices, active foams, and vortex glasses. Our work suggests that renewal plays a crucial role for organizing biological active matter.

Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation

If the author has provided any supplemental materials with this article they will be available upon publication of the version of record.

Sign In to Your Journals Account

Filter

Filter

Article Lookup

Enter a citation