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Area of Science:

  • Soft Matter Physics
  • Artificial Microswimmers
  • Active Matter Systems

Background:

  • Artificial microswimmers exhibit tactic responses to environmental stimuli.
  • Two key mechanisms influencing microswimmer behavior are angular fluctuations and self-polarization.
  • Understanding the interplay of these mechanisms is crucial for controlling microswimmer transport.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the combined effects of angular fluctuations and self-polarization on artificial microswimmer behavior.
  • To characterize how these competing mechanisms influence tactic responses in spatio-temporal modulations.
  • To determine the relative magnitude of these mechanisms for selective transport.

Main Methods:

  • Numerical simulations of microswimmer dynamics.
  • Analytical investigation of the governing equations.
  • Analysis of microswimmer response to inhomogeneous activating media.

Main Results:

  • Angular fluctuations promote faster diffusion towards active regions.
  • Self-polarization aligns swimmer velocity with local activation gradients.
  • The relative strength of these mechanisms governs selective transport.

Conclusions:

  • The combined action of angular fluctuations and self-polarization determines microswimmer navigation strategies.
  • Selective transport can be achieved by tuning the balance between diffusion and directed motion.
  • This study provides insights into the design and control of artificial microswimmers for targeted applications.