Flagellar swimmers oscillate between pusher- and puller-type swimming
Cell Behavior
2016-01-20 v1 Soft Condensed Matter
Biological Physics
Abstract
Self-propulsion of cellular microswimmers generates flow signatures, commonly classified as pusher- and puller-type, which characterize hydrodynamic interactions with other cells or boundaries. Using experimentally measured beat patterns, we compute that flagellated alga and sperm oscillate between pusher and puller. Beyond a typical distance of 100 um from the swimmer, inertia attenuates oscillatory micro-flows. We show that hydrodynamic interactions between swimmers oscillate in time and are of similar magnitude as stochastic swimming fluctuations.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1504.05775,
title = {Flagellar swimmers oscillate between pusher- and puller-type swimming},
author = {Gary S. Klindt and Benjamin M. Friedrich},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1504.05775},
year = {2016}
}
Comments
12 pages, 4 color figures