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Combining Fluidic Devices with Microscopy and Flow Cytometry to Study Microbial Transport in Porous Media Across Spatial Scales
Published on: November 25, 2020
Diffusive transport without detailed balance in motile bacteria: does microbiology need statistical physics?
1SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, JCMB, Kings Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, UK.
Summary
Bacterial motility, or run-and-tumble motion, exhibits diffusion without detailed balance due to environmental variations. This statistical physics model offers insights into microbial movement and experiments.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Statistical Physics
- Biophysics
Background:
- Many bacteria exhibit motility, characterized by run-and-tumble motion.
- This motion is diffusive at large scales but differs from Brownian motion.
- Motility parameters vary with the environment, leading to a lack of detailed balance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review statistical-mechanical models of bacterial motility.
- To present bacterial motility as a paradigm for diffusion without detailed balance.
- To discuss the utility of statistical physics in microbiology.
Main Methods:
- Review of statistical-mechanical models for bacterial motility.
- Analysis of run-and-tumble dynamics.
- Exploration of diffusion without detailed balance.
Main Results:
- Bacterial motility models highlight diffusion without detailed balance.
- Environmental variations in motility parameters break time-reversal symmetry.
- Lack of detailed balance presents challenges for modelers.
Conclusions:
- Bacterial motility serves as a key example for studying non-equilibrium statistical mechanics.
- Statistical physics provides valuable frameworks for understanding microbial behavior and experiments.
- Understanding diffusion without detailed balance is crucial in microbial systems.
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