Morphological instability and negative geometric friction from contact with active and driven particles

Overdamped particles on a deformable substrate induce a geometric friction through their response to metric perturbations. Nonequilibrium dynamics couples such a perturbation to kinetic effects, which can flip that friction negative, softening the substrate’s rigidity and favoring invaginations and evaginations. A breathing circle, with local curvature radius as dynamical variable, is the main example. At equilibrium the friction reduces to an ordinary potential response and stays positive. Geometric response emerges as a new route by which active and driven matter reshape their environment.