Particle tip shape controls nematic order in growing colonies
When elongated cells grow and divide, they spontaneously arrange into ordered, nematic patterns. We showed that a seemingly minor geometric detail — the shape of a particle’s tips — is in fact a decisive control parameter for the mesoscale orientational order that emerges. An effective master-equation description dissects how ordered microdomains form and break up through distinct stress-mediated and stochastic mechanisms, offering a handle to predict and tune the resulting texture.
Well done, Jonas — a beautifully detailed study!