Understanding mesoscopic consequences of microscopic driving in active nematics

Active nematics are a class of material in which aligned components are driven out of equilibrium by extensile forces along the direction of their alignment. Such systems display remarkable phenomenology including defect pair unbinding, long range flows, and low Reynolds number turbulence. Building off of the theory of passive liquid crystals, continuum models of active nematics have been successful in capturing a good deal of the rich phenomenology present. However, such theories do not provide a link between the microscopic nature of the driving force and mesoscopic dynamics. To address this issue, we interrogate actin liquid crystals that are driven by synthetic myosin motors. By modulating specific motor properties and relating these changes to observable differences in nematic flow and motor dynamics we are able to start teasing apart how microscopic changes in driving contribute to the mesoscopic phenomena in active nematics.