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SUMMARY:Towards Active Matter Cybernetics: Optimal Control of Active Nemat
 ics - Michael M. Norton (Pennsylvania State University)
DTSTART:20201110T130000Z
DTEND:20201110T140000Z
UID:TALK152542@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Patrick Pietzonka
DESCRIPTION:Zoom link: https://maths-cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/94018037756\n\nAc
 tive matter represents a broad class of materials and systems comprising i
 nteracting and energy-consuming constituents. The goal of active matter re
 search is to elucidate the operational principles that enable these materi
 als to assemble structures\, do mechanical work\, and propagate or process
  information. Model active systems such as reaction-diffusion systems and 
 active fluids enable a quantitative study of the essential physics that un
 ifies all active materials\, both living and synthetic. Recent development
 s in light-activated kinesin motor complexes enable programmatic spatiotem
 poral control over the active stress field of active gels and nematics\, o
 ffering abundant opportunities for interacting with these materials in new
  ways. However\, so far\, these efforts have relied on ad hoc control stra
 tegies that are not directly informed by dynamical models. Towards rationa
 lly interacting with active materials\, I will discuss our recent computat
 ional work on applying optimal control theory to an active nematic materia
 l. I’ll demonstrate how nontrivial system inputs can be calculated to st
 eer a confined active nematic between two dynamical attractors: clockwise 
 and counter-clockwise rotational states. Looking forward\, the generality 
 of the optimal control framework offers the potential for translation to l
 iving systems.
LOCATION:via zoom\, meeting ID 940-1803-7756
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