@article{StraubePagesTiernoetal., author = {Straube, Arthur and Pag{\`e}s, Josep M. and Tierno, Pietro and Ign{\´e}s-Mullol, Jordi and Sagu{\´e}s, Francesc}, title = {Collective dynamics and conformal ordering in electrophoretically driven nematic colloids}, series = {Phys. Rev. Research}, volume = {1}, journal = {Phys. Rev. Research}, doi = {10.1103/PhysRevResearch.1.022008}, pages = {022008}, abstract = {We present a theoretical framework to understand the collective dynamics of an ensemble of electrophoretically driven colloidal particles that are forced to assemble around a single topological defect in a nematic liquid crystal by an alternating current electric field. Our generic model combines phoretic propulsion with electrostatic interactions and liquid-crystal-mediated hydrodynamics, which are effectively cast into a long-range interparticle repulsion, while nematic elasticity plays a subdominant role. Simulations based on this model fully capture the collective organization process observed in the experiments and other striking effects as the emergence of conformal ordering and a nearly frequency-independent repulsive interaction above 10Hz. Our results demonstrate the importance of hydrodynamic interactions on the assembly of driven microscale matter in anisotropic media.}, language = {en} }