title: Active chiral processes in thin films.
abstract: We develop a generic description of thin active films that captures key features of flow and rotation patterns emerging from the activity of chiral motors which introduce torque dipoles. We highlight the role of the spin rotation field and show that fluid flows can occur in two ways: by coupling of the spin rotation rate to the velocity field via a surface or by spatial gradients of the spin rotation rate. We discuss our results in the context of patches of bacteria on solid surfaces and groups of rotating cilia. Our theory could apply to active chiral processes in the cell cytoskeleton and in epithelia.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Straße 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany and Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstraße 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fürthauer
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Straße 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany and Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstraße 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Strempel
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Straße 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany and Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstraße 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Grill
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Straße 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jülicher
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D002923:Cilia / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009218:Myosins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D019415:Torque
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D009218:Myosins