Active topological glass

Abstract

The glass transition in soft matter systems is generally triggered by an increase in packing fraction or a decrease in temperature. It has been conjectured that the internal topology of the constituent particles, such as polymers, can cause glassiness too. However, the conjecture relies on immobilizing a fraction of the particles and is therefore difficult to fulfill experimentally. Here we show that in dense solutions of circular polymers containing (active) segments of increased mobility, the interplay of the activity and the topology of the polymers generates an unprecedented glassy state of matter. The active isotropic driving enhances mutual ring threading to the extent that the rings can relax only in a cooperative way, which dramatically increases relaxation times. Moreover, the observed phenomena feature similarities with the conformation and dynamics of the DNA fibre in living nuclei of higher eukaryotes.