We published multiple papers in the first half of 2024! We study how higher-order interactions, wall affinity, membrane binding and dimerization, as well as non-local elasticity affect phase separation. All these papers will help us to better understand how condensates form in cells.

We published a new pre-print on a theory of Elastic Microphase Separation explaining recent experiments. In the experiments, phase separation in an elastic PDMS gel lead to regular patterns whose length scale decreased for stiffer meshes. Our theory based on nonlocal elasticity explains this behavior and the observed continuous phase transition.

Our paper on the “Nucleation of chemically active droplets” has been published in PRL. In this work spearheaded by Noah Ziethen, we wondered how chemical reactions affect the rate at which droplets emerge. Our numerical simulations and analytical theory indicate that reactions generally suppress nucleation when the dilute phase is stable.

In our latest manuscript, we show that Physical interactions promote Turing patterns. We looked at reaction-diffusion systems where components interact physically. To our surprise, even weak interactions help create Turing patterns, thus widening the parameter range where patterns appear.

The first results from our collaboration with Raphael Mercier from MPI-PZ was recently published in Nature Communications. In this paper, we describe how little droplets on condensed chromosomes determine where the maternal and paternal chromosomes combine during meiosis. Our work provides evidence for a recently emerged coarsening model in this important step during sexual reproduction.