Micro, Nano, and Molecular Systems Theory of Inhomogeneous Condensed Matter News 05-05-2020 Drops of nanoparticles self-stir and communicate Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems have discovered a new mechanism of self-organization of active matter. When photochemically active nanoparticles are enclosed at high density within a drop and are exposed to UV light, a self-organized flow pattern emerges by spontaneous symmetry breaking. Furthermore, each drop communicates with neighbouring drops by exchanging chemicals, and coordination of their internal flows occurs – even when far apart. Dhruv Pratap Singh Peer Fischer Mihail N. Popescu Siegfried Dietrich

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