Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Title: Playing With Magnets, Geometry and Bacteria.
Speaker: Andrés Concha, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Chile
Abstract: What collective phenomena emerge when a magnetic system is liberated from the constraints of a fixed lattice?. I address this question analyzing magnetic rotors: magnets fixed on a lattice but constrained to rotate in a tilted plane. Varying the angle between rotation planes drives a geometric transition between distinct collective states. Releasing the magnets from the lattice turns the problem into one of active matter, where stronger magnetic coupling can limit mobility. This provides a simple picture for magnetotactic bacteria: their magnetic chain must be large enough to align, but not so large that it compromises swimming.
Profile: Andrés Concha is an Associate Professor of Physics at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, where he works on problems spanning the soft and hard sides of condensed matter physics. He earned his B.Sc. from Universidad de Chile, then completed an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Physics and Astronomy at Johns Hopkins University, followed by postdoctoral work at Harvard University.
Find out more about the TSVP on the program website: oist.jp/visiting-program
#CollectivePhenomena #MagneticSystem #MagneticRotors #GeometricTransition #ActiveMatter #MagnetotacticBacteria #OIST #TSVP #Theoretical #Science #VisitingProgram #Okinawa #research
Title: Playing With Magnets, Geometry and Bacteria.
Speaker: Andrés Concha, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Chile
Abstract: What collective phenomena emerge when a magnetic system is liberated from the constraints of a fixed lattice?. I address this question analyzing magnetic rotors: magnets fixed on a lattice but constrained to rotate in a tilted plane. Varying the angle between rotation planes drives a geometric transition between distinct collective states. Releasing the magnets from the lattice turns the problem into one of active matter, where stronger magnetic coupling can limit mobility. This provides a simple picture for magnetotactic bacteria: their magnetic chain must be large enough to align, but not so large that it compromises swimming.
Profile: Andrés Concha is an Associate Professor of Physics at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, where he works on problems spanning the soft and hard sides of condensed matter physics. He earned his B.Sc. from Universidad de Chile, then completed an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Physics and Astronomy at Johns Hopkins University, followed by postdoctoral work at Harvard University.
Find out more about the TSVP on the program website: oist.jp/visiting-program
#CollectivePhenomena #MagneticSystem #MagneticRotors #GeometricTransition #ActiveMatter #MagnetotacticBacteria #OIST #TSVP #Theoretical #Science #VisitingProgram #Okinawa #research
