Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Confocal Imaging of Confined Quiescent and Flowing Colloid-polymer Mixtures
Published on: May 20, 2014
Transport and collective dynamics in suspensions of confined swimming particles
Juan P Hernandez-Ortiz1, Christopher G Stoltz, Michael D Graham
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1607, USA.
Abstract:
Direct simulations of large populations of confined hydrodynamically interacting swimming particles at low Reynolds number are performed. Hydrodynamic coupling between the swimmers leads to large-scale coherent vortex motions in the flow and regimes of anomalous diffusion that are consistent with experimental observations. At low concentrations, swimmers propelled from behind (like spermatazoa) strongly migrate toward solid surfaces in agreement with simple theoretical considerations; at higher concentrations this localization is disrupted by the large-scale coherent motions.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Colloids and Suspensions
Colloids
Conservation of Linear Momentum for a System of Particles
The impulsive force at play during this interaction is of extremely short duration, rendering its impulse negligible. When...
Reynolds Transport Theorem

