19 research outputs found
Helical and oscillatory microswimmer motility statistics from differential dynamic microscopy
The experimental characterisation of the swimming statistics of populations
of microorganisms or artificially propelled particles is essential for
understanding the physics of active systems and their exploitation. Here, we
construct a theoretical framework to extract information on the
three-dimensional motion of micro-swimmers from the Intermediate Scattering
Function (ISF) obtained from Differential Dynamic Microscopy (DDM). We derive
theoretical expressions for the ISF of helical and oscillatory breaststroke
swimmers, and test the theoretical framework by applying it to video sequences
generated from simulated swimmers with precisely-controlled dynamics. We then
discuss how our theory can be applied to the experimental study of helical
swimmers, such as active Janus colloids or suspensions of motile microalgae. In
particular, we show how fitting DDM data to a simple, non-helical ISF model can
be used to derive three-dimensional helical motility parameters, which can
therefore be obtained without specialised 3D microscopy equipment. Finally, we
discus how our results aid the study of active matter and describe applications
of biological and ecological importance
A transition to stable one-dimensional swimming enhances E. coli motility through narrow channels
Living organisms often display adaptive strategies that allow them to move efficiently even in strong confinement. With one single degree of freedom, the angle of a rotating bundle of flagella, bacteria provide one of the simplest examples of locomotion in the living world. Here we show that a purely physical mechanism, depending on a hydrodynamic stability condition, is responsible for a confinement induced transition between two swimming states in E. coli. While in large channels bacteria always crash onto confining walls, when the cross section falls below a threshold, they leave the walls to move swiftly on a stable swimming trajectory along the channel axis. We investigate this phenomenon for individual cells that are guided through a sequence of micro-fabricated tunnels of decreasing cross section. Our results challenge current theoretical predictions and suggest effective design principles for microrobots by showing that motility based on helical propellers provides a robust swimming strategy for exploring narrow spaces
A bacterial ratchet motor
Self-propelling bacteria are a dream of nano-technology. These unicellular
organisms are not just capable of living and reproducing, but they can swim
very efficiently, sense the environment and look for food, all packaged in a
body measuring a few microns. Before such perfect machines could be
artificially assembled, researchers are beginning to explore new ways to
harness bacteria as propelling units for micro-devices. Proposed strategies
require the careful task of aligning and binding bacterial cells on synthetic
surfaces in order to have them work cooperatively. Here we show that asymmetric
micro-gears can spontaneously rotate when immersed in an active bacterial bath.
The propulsion mechanism is provided by the self assembly of motile Escherichia
coli cells along the saw-toothed boundaries of a nano-fabricated rotor. Our
results highlight the technological implications of active matter's ability to
overcome the restrictions imposed by the second law of thermodynamics on
equilibrium passive fluids.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
MicroMotility: State of the art, recent accomplishments and perspectives on the mathematical modeling of bio-motility at microscopic scales
Mathematical modeling and quantitative study of biological motility (in particular, of motility at microscopic scales) is producing new biophysical insight and is offering opportunities for new discoveries at the level of both fundamental science and technology. These range from the explanation of how complex behavior at the level of a single organism emerges from body architecture, to the understanding of collective phenomena in groups of organisms and tissues, and of how these forms of swarm intelligence can be controlled and harnessed in engineering applications, to the elucidation of processes of fundamental biological relevance at the cellular and sub-cellular level. In this paper, some of the most exciting new developments in the fields of locomotion of unicellular organisms, of soft adhesive locomotion across scales, of the study of pore translocation properties of knotted DNA, of the development of synthetic active solid sheets, of the mechanics of the unjamming transition in dense cell collectives, of the mechanics of cell sheet folding in volvocalean algae, and of the self-propulsion of topological defects in active matter are discussed. For each of these topics, we provide a brief state of the art, an example of recent achievements, and some directions for future research