We review the depinning and nonequilibrium phases of collectively interacting particle
systems driven over random or periodic substrates. This type of system is relevant to vortices …

We review approaches aimed at deciphering the physical mechanisms responsible for viral
structure and assembly. We discuss the basic principles of condensed matter physics …

The iridescent metallic green beetle, Chrysina gloriosa, which selectively reflects left
circularly polarized light, possesses an exoskeleton decorated by hexagonal cells (~ 10 μm) …

Hexagons can easily tile a flat surface, but not a curved one. Introducing heptagons and
pentagons (defects with topological charge) makes it easier to tile curved surfaces; for …

Many systems in nature and the synthetic world involve ordered arrangements of units on
two-dimensional surfaces. We review here the fundamental role payed by both the topology …

Orientational order, encoded in anisotropic fields, plays an important role during the
development of an organism. A striking example of this is the freshwater polyp Hydra, where …

This perspective will overview an emerging paradigm for self-organized soft materials,
geometrically frustrated assemblies, where interactions between self-assembling elements …

Due to its atomic scale thickness, the deformation energy in a free standing graphene sheet
can be easily released through out-of-plane wrinkles which, if controllable, may be used to …

Topological defects in thin films coating a deformed substrate interact with the underlying
curvature. This coupling mechanism influences the shape of biological structures and …

Understanding the effect of curvature and topological frustration in crystals yields insights
into the fragility of the ordered state. For instance, a one-dimensional crystal of identical …