Scattering of biflagellate microswimmers from surfaces

Enkeleida Lushi, Vasily Kantsler, Raymond E. Goldstein

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

42 Scopus citations

Abstract

We use a three-bead-spring model to investigate the dynamics of biflagellate microswimmers near a surface. While the primary dynamics and scattering are governed by geometric-dependent direct contact, the fluid flows generated by the swimmer locomotion are important in orienting it toward or away from the surface. Flagellar noise and in particular cell spinning about the main axis help a surface-trapped swimmer escape, whereas the time a swimmer spends at the surface depends on the incident angle. The dynamics results from a nuanced interplay of direct collisions, hydrodynamics, noise, and the swimmer geometry. We show that to correctly capture the dynamics of a biflagellate swimmer, minimal models need to resolve the shape asymmetry.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number023102
JournalPhysical Review E
Volume96
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 10 2017
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
  • Statistics and Probability
  • Condensed Matter Physics

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