Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 8, 2025
10:56
Long-term Behavioral Tracking of Freely Swimming Weakly Electric Fish
Published on: March 6, 2014
12.6K
Modulating drift dynamics of circle swimmers by periodic potentials.
Mohammad Nabil1,2, Andrew Frankowski1,2, Ashton Orosa1,2
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, USA.
Physical Review. E
|June 16, 2022
Summary
We developed a method to control circle swimmers in fluid flows using static potentials. This technique allows for the separation of artificial and biological swimmers based on their unique dynamic properties.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Fluid Dynamics
- Statistical Mechanics
Background:
- Overdamped circle swimmers exhibit complex motion in fluid flows.
- Controlling microswimmer trajectories is crucial for various applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and analyze a method for modulating the drift motion of circle swimmers.
- To investigate the influence of static sinusoidal potentials on swimmer dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing Langevin formalism to model swimmer dynamics.
- Analyzing drift velocity as a function of potential strength and wavelength.
- Investigating the effects of diffusional motion (noise).
Main Results:
- Drift velocity shows quantized behavior without diffusion, becoming continuous with noise.
- Observed damped oscillatory and plateau regimes in drift velocity based on potential parameters.
- Identified a regime where swimmer drift velocity exceeds fluid velocity under specific conditions.
Conclusions:
- Static sinusoidal potentials effectively modulate circle swimmer drift.
- The findings enable the separation of biological and artificial circle swimmers.
- This method offers a new approach for controlling and distinguishing microswimmers.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Types of Damping
6.7K
If the amount of damping in a system is gradually increased, the period and frequency start to become affected because damping opposes, and hence slows, the back and forth motion (the net force is smaller in both directions). If there is a very large amount of damping, the system does not even oscillate; instead, it slowly moves toward equilibrium. In brief, an overdamped system moves slowly towards equilibrium, whereas an underdamped system moves quickly to equilibrium but will oscillate about...
6.7K
01:30Dynamics of Circular Motion
13.8K
An object undergoing circular motion, like a race car, is accelerating because it is changing the direction of its velocity. This centrally directed acceleration is called centripetal acceleration. This acceleration acts along the radius of the curved path (thus is also referred to as radial acceleration).
Any acceleration must be produced by some force. Therefore, any force or combination of forces can cause centripetal acceleration. A few examples include the tension in the rope on a...
Any acceleration must be produced by some force. Therefore, any force or combination of forces can cause centripetal acceleration. A few examples include the tension in the rope on a...
13.8K
01:11Buoyancy and Stability for Submerged and Floating Bodies
2.0K
In fluid mechanics, buoyancy and stability are key concepts for understanding the behavior of submerged and floating bodies. When a stationary body is fully or partially submerged in a fluid, the fluid exerts a force on the body known as the buoyant force. This force acts vertically upward through a point called the center of buoyancy, which is the center of the displaced fluid volume. According to Archimedes' principle, the magnitude of the buoyant force is equal to the weight of the fluid...
2.0K
01:07Damped Oscillations
6.0K
In the real world, oscillations seldom follow true simple harmonic motion. A system that continues its motion indefinitely without losing its amplitude is termed undamped. However, friction of some sort usually dampens the motion, so it fades away or needs more force to continue. For example, a guitar string stops oscillating a few seconds after being plucked. Similarly, one must continually push a swing to keep a child swinging on a playground.
Although friction and other non-conservative...
Although friction and other non-conservative...
6.0K
01:17Dynamics Of Circular Motion: Applications
8.0K
Suppose a car moves on flat ground and turns to the left. The centripetal force causing the car to turn in a circular path is due to friction between the tires and the road. For this, a minimum coefficient of friction is needed, or the car will move in a larger-radius curve and leave the roadway. Let's now consider banked curves, where the slope of the road helps in negotiating the curve. The greater the angle of the curve, the faster one can take the curve. It is common for race tracks for...
8.0K
01:29Gradually Varying Flow
113
Gradually varying flow (GVF) in open channels describes situations where water depth changes slowly along the channel due to factors like non-uniform bed slope, channel shape variations, or obstructions. This flow type occurs when the depth adjusts gradually to balance gravitational forces, shear forces, and energy requirements, resulting in a low rate of depth change.Characteristics of Gradually Varying FlowGVF is commonly observed in natural streams, rivers, and canals, where flow depth...
113