Livio Nicola Carenza
Koç University
“Active Fluids: From Turbulence to Programmable Materials”
Abstract
Active matter, consisting of systems driven far from equilibrium by internal energy consumption, has emerged as a captivating research area at the intersection of physics, biology, and materials science. Biological examples include cytoskeletal suspensions powered by motor proteins, bacterial fluids, and epithelial tissues, while synthetic counterparts, such as chemically propelled colloidal particles, open new frontiers for the development of novel smart materials. In this seminar, I will explore the defining features of active fluids, emphasizing the properties and dynamics that distinguish them from passive systems. Two central characteristics—orientational order and chaotic flows—underlie a range of phenomena, from spontaneous flow generation to active turbulence. The latter, characterized by erratic, self-sustained flows and the proliferation of topological defects, challenges classical fluid mechanics while offering a fertile framework for interpreting biologically relevant processes, such as morphogenesis and tissue dynamics, through the lens of physics. Finally, using continuous hydrodynamic models for active turbulence, I will present our recent computational study on strategies to control active fluids. In particular, we demonstrate how the intrinsic motility of active turbulence can drive the self-organization of suspended passive particles .
Livio Nicola Carenza is a theoretical and computational physicist based at Koç University, where he established his independent research group in 2023. His research focuses on topics at the interface between soft and active matter, such as complex fluids, liquid crystals, and biological realizations. Before joining Koç University, Carenza was a postdoctoral fellow at Leiden University in the Netherlands, where he investigated the dynamics of epithelial tissues. He earned his PhD at the University of Bari in Italy, with a dissertation on topology and turbulence in active fluids. Carenza’s work has earned several prestigious honors, including the Paladin Prize from the Italian Society for Statistical Physics for the best PhD thesis in Statistical Mechanics and Complex Systems, the Postdoctoral EMBO Fellowship, and the BAGEP award in 2024.
Date : December 11, 2024 Wednesday
Time : 15:30
Place : SA-240
All interested are cordially invited.