5,695 research outputs found
Dynamics of a linear magnetic "microswimmer molecule"
In analogy to nanoscopic molecules that are composed of individual atoms, we
consider an active "microswimmer molecule". It is built up from three
individual magnetic colloidal microswimmers that are connected by harmonic
springs and hydrodynamically interact with each other. In the ground state,
they form a linear straight molecule. We analyze the relaxation dynamics for
perturbations of this straight configuration. As a central result, with
increasing self-propulsion, we observe an oscillatory instability in accord
with a subcritical Hopf bifurcation scenario. It is accompanied by a
corkscrew-like swimming trajectory of increasing radius. Our results can be
tested experimentally, using for instance magnetic self-propelled Janus
particles, supposably linked by DNA molecules.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figure
A deformable microswimmer in a swirl: capturing and scattering dynamics
Inspired by the classical Kepler and Rutherford problem, we investigate an
analogous set-up in the context of active microswimmers: the behavior of a
deformable microswimmer in a swirl flow. First we identify new steady bound
states in the swirl flow and analyze their stability. Second we study the
dynamics of a self-propelled swimmer heading towards the vortex center, and we
observe the subsequent capturing and scattering dynamics. We distinguish
between two major types of swimmers, those that tend to elongate
perpendicularly to the propulsion direction and those that pursue a parallel
elongation. While the first ones can get caught by the swirl, the second ones
were always observed to be scattered, which proposes a promising escape
strategy. This offers a route to design artificial microswimmers that show the
desired behavior in complicated flow fields. It should be straightforward to
verify our results in a corresponding quasi-two-dimensional experiment using
self-propelled droplets on water surfaces.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure
Disentangling Treatment Effects of Polish Active Labor Market Policies: Evidence from Matched Samples
This paper estimates causal effects of two Polish active labor market policies - Training and Intervention Works - on employment probabilities. Using data from the 18th wave of the Polish Labor Force Survey we discuss three stages of an appropriately designed matching procedure and demonstrate how the method succeeds in balancing relevant covariates. The validity of this approach is illustrated using the estimated propensity score as a summary measure of balance. We implement a conditional difference-in-differences estimator of treatment effects based on individual trinomial sequences of pre-treatment labor market status. Our findings suggest that Training raises employment probability, while Intervention Works seems to lead to a negative treatment effect for men. Furthermore, we find that appropriate subdivision of the matched sample for conditional treatment effect estimation can add considerable insight to the interpretation of results.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39831/3/wp447.pd
Spontaneous membrane formation and self-encapsulation of active rods in an inhomogeneous motility field
We study the collective dynamics of self-propelled rods in an inhomogeneous
motility field. At the interface between two regions of constant but different
motility, a smectic rod layer is spontaneously created through aligning
interactions between the active rods, reminiscent of an artificial,
semi-permeable membrane. This "active membrane" engulfes rods which are locally
trapped in low-motility regions and thereby further enhances the trapping
efficiency by self-organization, an effect which we call "self-encapsulation".
Our results are gained by computer simulations of self-propelled rod models
confined on a two-dimensional planar or spherical surface with a stepwise
constant motility field, but the phenomenon should be observable in any
geometry with sufficiently large spatial inhomogeneity. We also discuss
possibilities to verify our predictions of active-membrane formation in
experiments of self-propelled colloidal rods and vibrated granular matter
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