When soft crystals defy Newton's third law: Non-reciprocal mechanics and\n dislocation motility

Abstract

The effective interactions between the constituents of driven soft matter\ngenerically defy Newton's third law. Combining theory and numerical\nsimulations, we establish that six classes of mechanics with no counterparts in\nequilibrium systems emerge in elastic crystals challenged by nonreciprocal\ninteractions. Going beyond linear deformations, we reveal that interactions\nviolating Newton's third law generically turn otherwise quiescent dislocations\ninto motile singularities which steadily glide though periodic lattices.\n