Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026
10:03
Quantitative Locomotion Study of Freely Swimming Micro-organisms Using Laser Diffraction
Published on: October 25, 2012
Disorder-induced persistent random motion and trapping of microswimmers
Mirko Residori1, Sebastian Aland2,3,4,5, Christina Kurzthaler1,4,5
1Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Straße 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany. ckurzthaler@pks.mpg.de.
Soft Matter
|June 26, 2026
Summary
Microswimmers in disordered environments exhibit effective diffusive transport due to hydrodynamics and disorder. Pusher and puller microswimmers show distinct trapping behaviors, influenced by interactions.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Biophysics
- Fluid Dynamics
Background:
- Microorganisms navigate complex, disordered environments.
- Hydrodynamic interactions significantly influence microswimmer dynamics in confined spaces.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate microswimmer dynamics in 2D disordered porous media.
- Characterize transport behavior influenced by activity, hydrodynamics, and disorder.
Main Methods:
- Utilized extensive finite-element simulations.
- Resolved full hydrodynamic interactions for microswimmers (squirmers).
Main Results:
- Disorder and hydrodynamics induce effective diffusive transport.
- Microswimmers exhibit trapping (corner or dynamic) based on type and packing fraction.
- Observed pusher-puller asymmetry in trapping, reversible by near-field interactions.
Conclusions:
- Deterministic coupling drives effective diffusion in porous media.
- Microswimmer transport is sensitive to obstacle geometry and short-range interactions.
- Revealed unique 'hop-and-trap' dynamics and pusher-puller asymmetry.
