Swimming with a friend at low Reynolds number

Details Swimming with a friend at low Reynolds number Swimming with a friend at low Reynolds number

2007-05-24

arxiv.org/abs/0705.3612v1

Physics

Condensed Matter

Soft Condensed Matter

6 pages, 4 figures

Scientific paper

We investigate the hydrodynamic interactions between microorganisms swimming at low Reynolds number. By considering simple model swimmers, and combining analytic and numerical approaches, we investigate the time-averaged flow field around a swimmer. At short distances the swimmer behaves like a pump. At large distances the velocity field depends on whether the swimming stroke is invariant under a combined time-reversal and parity transformation. We then consider two swimmers and find that the interaction between them consists of two parts; a dead term, independent of the motion of the second swimmer, which takes the expected dipolar form and a live term resulting from the simultaneous swimming action of both swimmers which does not. We argue that, in general, the latter dominates. The swimmer--swimmer interaction is a complicated function of their relative displacement, orientation and phase, leading to motion that can be attractive, repulsive or oscillatory.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Swimming with a friend at low Reynolds number does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Swimming with a friend at low Reynolds number, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Swimming with a friend at low Reynolds number will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-606393