Multi-ciliated microswimmers-metachronal coordination and helical swimming
Sebastian Rode1, Jens Elgeti1, Gerhard Gompper2
1Theoretical Physics of Living Matter, Institute of Biological Information Processing and Institute for Advanced Simulation, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany.
The European Physical Journal. E, Soft Matter
|June 8, 2021
Summary
This study simulates multi-ciliated microswimmers, revealing that cilia arrangement dictates swimming and helical motion. Increased cilia number enhances swimming velocity, crucial for understanding microswimmer dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Fluid dynamics
- Biophysics
- Microscale transport
Background:
- Microswimmers are essential for biological processes and biotechnological applications.
- Understanding the hydrodynamics of multi-ciliated microswimmers is key to optimizing their function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dynamics and motion of multi-ciliated microswimmers using mesoscale hydrodynamics simulations.
- To characterize the influence of cilia beat patterns on swimming velocity, spinning, and trajectory.
Main Methods:
- Mesoscale hydrodynamics simulations were employed.
- A metachronal wave with longitudinal and latitudinal components was imposed on the cilia beat.
- Key parameters analyzed include swimming velocity, spinning velocity, and helical trajectory characteristics.
Main Results:
- Microswimmer motion is highly sensitive to latitudinal wave number and longitudinal phase lag.
- Chirality in cilia beating generates helical trajectories, typically thin and stretched.
- Swimming velocity increases with cilia number (N) following a sublinear power law.
Conclusions:
- Cilia arrangement significantly impacts microswimmer dynamics, including smooth swimming and self-propulsion.
- The extended cilia enhance the hydrodynamic radius, reducing rotational diffusion.
- Simulation results align with theoretical expectations for cilia-driven transport.
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