Théorique, numérique
Self-organization is key to the function of living cells – but sometimes goes wrong! In Alzheimer’s and many other diseases, normally soluble proteins thus clump up into pathological fiber-like aggregates. While biologists typically explain this on the grounds of detailed molecular interactions, we have started proving that such fibers are actually expected from very general physical principles. We thus show that geometrical frustration builds up when mismatched objects self-assemble, and leads to non-trivial aggregate morphologies, including fibers. Going beyond systems containing only one type of particles, here we aim to explore the phase behavior of systems containing multiple particle types using both simulations and analytical theory. Beyond protein aggregation, this project opens investigations into a new class of "disordered" systems where the disorder is carried by each identical particle, as opposed to sprinkled throughout the system. This will help define the much-debated notion of frustration in dilute systems.