Research

Active elastic solids
Active solids are elastic structures made of, or doped with active units. They are particularly relevant when studying dense biological systems, like confined cell monolayers, dense bacterial suspensions, bacterial biofilms, and dense pedestrian crowds. We develop a minimal experimental realization of an active solid by embedding self-propelled robots at the nodes of an elastic spring network. Moreover, we demonstrate the presence of a feedback between structural deformations and the orientation of active forces, which can give rise to fascinating self-oscillating dynamics called collective actuation.

Credits: Alexandre Dizeux (sci-vis-com.fr)
  • Selective and Collective Actuation in Active Solids, P. Baconnier, D. Shohat, C. Hernandèz, C. Coulais, V. Démery, G. Düring, and O. Dauchot, Nature Physics, 2022.
  • Discontinuous Tension-controlled Transition between Collective Actuations in Active Solids, P. Baconnier, D. Shohat, and O. Dauchot, Physical Review Letters, 2023.
  • Noise-induced Collective Actuation in Active Solids, P. Baconnier, V. Démery, O. Dauchot, Physical Review E, 2024.
  • Model of Active Solids: Rigid Body Motion and Shape-changing Mechanisms, C. Hernández-López, P. Baconnier, C. Coulais, O. Dauchot, G. Düring, Physical Review Letters, 2024.
  • Self-Aligning Polar Active Matter, P. Baconnier, O. Dauchot, V. Démery, G. Düring, S. Henkes, C. Huepe, A. Shee, Reviews of Modern Physics, 2025.

Memory in amorphous materials

Coming soon.

Autonomous ciliary walkers

Coming soon.

PhD defense

PhD defense recording, amphitheater IPGG, Paris, 23/01/23.
  • PhD Manuscript, 2023 [pdf]