Morse, Peter K.Roy, SudeshnaAgoritsas, ElisabethStanifer, EthanCorwin, Eric I.Manning, M. Lisa2021-05-022021-05-022021-05-02202110.1073/pnas.2019909118https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/177718The similarity in mechanical properties of dense active matter and sheared amorphous solids has been noted in recent years without a rigorous examination of the underlying mechanism. We develop a mean-field model that predicts that their critical behavior—as measured by their avalanche statistics—should be equivalent in infinite dimensions up to a rescaling factor that depends on the correlation length of the applied field. We test these predictions in two dimensions using a numerical proto- col, termed “athermal quasistatic random displacement,” and find that these mean-field predictions are surprisingly accurate in low dimensions. We identify a general class of perturbations that smoothly interpolates between the uncorrelated localized forces that occur in the high-persistence limit of dense active matter and system-spanning correlated displacements that occur under applied shear. These results suggest a universal framework for predicting flow, deformation, and failure in active and sheared disordered materials.text::journal::journal article::research article