Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 20, 2026
07:20
Trapping of Micro Particles in Nanoplasmonic Optical Lattice
Published on: September 5, 2017
7.0K
Dynamic optical rectification and delivery of active particles
Nick Koumakis1, Aidan T Brown1, Jochen Arlt1
1SUPA and School of Physics & Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, Scotland, UK. nick.koumakis@ed.ac.uk.
Soft Matter
|August 23, 2019
Summary
Moving light patterns precisely control photo-activated Escherichia coli bacteria motion. Bacterial accumulation in reservoirs depends on directed flux versus stochastic transport, offering design principles for micro-swimmer applications.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Biophysics
- Soft Matter Physics
Background:
- Motility of microorganisms like Escherichia coli is crucial for their survival and colonization.
- Photo-activated motility offers a non-invasive method to control bacterial behavior.
- Understanding transport phenomena in microbial populations is key for various applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the control of photo-activated bacterial motion using dynamic light patterns.
- To quantify the relationship between light pattern parameters and bacterial flux.
- To elucidate the mechanisms governing cell accumulation in response to controlled motion.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing photo-activated Escherichia coli bacteria.
- Employing moving light patterns to direct bacterial motion.
- Performing two-dimensional simulations and a one-dimensional analytic model for validation and exploration.
- Analyzing cell accumulation in defined reservoirs.
Main Results:
- Bacterial flux magnitude and direction are controllable by varying light pattern speed.
- Cell accumulation is determined by the interplay between directed flux and stochastic transport.
- Parameter space exploration revealed key factors influencing population dynamics.
Conclusions:
- Moving light patterns provide effective control over photo-activated bacterial transport.
- The balance between directed and stochastic transport dictates population accumulation.
- This study offers design principles for light-controlled micro-swimmers in practical applications.
Related Concept Videos
02:24Properties of Enantiomers and Optical Activity
21.5K
It is essential to understand the difference between chiral and achiral interactions and the implications thereof in optical activity and their applications. Just as our feet, which are chiral, interact uniquely with chiral objects, such as a pair of shoes, but identically with achiral socks, enantiomers of a molecule exhibit different properties only when they interact with other chiral media. An example of a significant implication from this facet is the phenomenon known as optical activity,...
21.5K
03:37Subatomic Particles
112.3K
Dalton was only partially correct about the particles that make up matter. All matter is composed of atoms, and atoms are composed of three smaller subatomic particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons. These three particles account for the mass and the charge of an atom.
112.3K
02:10The Nucleosome Core Particle
14.1K
Nucleosomes are the DNA-histone complex, where the DNA strand is wound around the histone core. The histone core is an octamer containing two copies of H2A, H2B, H3, and H4 histone proteins.
The paradox
Nucleosomes, paradoxically, perform two opposite functions simultaneously. On the one hand, their main responsibility is to protect the delicate DNA strands from physical damage and help achieve a higher compaction ratio. While on the other hand, they must allow polymerase enzymes to access DNA...
The paradox
Nucleosomes, paradoxically, perform two opposite functions simultaneously. On the one hand, their main responsibility is to protect the delicate DNA strands from physical damage and help achieve a higher compaction ratio. While on the other hand, they must allow polymerase enzymes to access DNA...
14.1K
01:12The Nucleosome Core Particle
2.2K
Nucleosomes are the DNA-histone complex, where the DNA strand is wound around the histone core. The histone core is an octamer containing two copies of H2A, H2B, H3, and H4 histone proteins.
Nucleosomes, paradoxically, perform two opposite functions simultaneously. On the one hand, their primary aim is to protect the delicate DNA strands from physical damage and help achieve a higher compaction ratio. On the other hand, they must allow polymerase enzymes to access histone-bound DNA during...
Nucleosomes, paradoxically, perform two opposite functions simultaneously. On the one hand, their primary aim is to protect the delicate DNA strands from physical damage and help achieve a higher compaction ratio. On the other hand, they must allow polymerase enzymes to access histone-bound DNA during...
2.2K
02:20Dynamic Equilibrium
61.9K
A reversible chemical reaction represents a chemical process that proceeds in both forward (left to right) and reverse (right to left) directions. When the rates of the forward and reverse reactions are equal, the concentrations of the reactant and product species remain constant over time and the system is at equilibrium. A special double arrow is used to emphasize the reversible nature of the reaction. The relative concentrations of reactants and products in equilibrium systems vary greatly;...
61.9K
02:43Basic Postulates of Kinetic Molecular Theory: Particle Size, Energy, and Collision
37.5K
The ideal-gas equation, which is empirical, describes the behavior of gases by establishing relationships between their macroscopic properties. For example, Charles’ law states that volume and temperature are directly related. Gases, therefore, expand when heated at constant pressure. Although gas laws explain how the macroscopic properties change relative to one another, it does not explain the rationale behind it.
37.5K