Abstract
In this paper we utilize the method of regularized Stokeslets to explore flow fields induced by ‘carpets’ of rotating flagella. We model each flagellum as a rigid, rotating helix attached to a wall, and study flows around both a single helix and a small patch of multiple helices. To test our numerical method and gain intuition about flows induced by a single rotating helix, we first perform a numerical time-reversibility experiment. Next, we investigate the hypothesis put forth in (Darnton et al., Biophys J 86, 1863–1870, 2004) that a small number of rotating flagella could produce “whirlpools” and “rivers” a small distance above them. Using our model system, we are able to produce “whirlpools” and “rivers” when the helices are rotating out of phase. Finally, to better understand the transport of microscale loads by flagellated microorganisms, we model a fully coupled helix-vesicle system by placing a finite-sized vesicle held together by elastic springs in fluid near one or two rotating helices. We compare the trajectories of the vesicle and a tracer particle initially placed at the centroid of vesicle and find that the two trajectories can diverge significantly within a short amount of time. Interestingly, the divergent behavior is extremely sensitive to the initial position within the fluid.
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Acknowledgements
Authors gratefully acknowledge the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications for their support and the organizers of WhAM! A Research Collaboration Workshop for Women in Applied Mathematics, Dynamical Systems with Applications to Biology and Medicine. The work of L. Fauci was partially supported by NSF DMS 1043626.
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Buchmann, A.L., Fauci, L.J., Leiderman, K., Strawbridge, E.M., Zhao, L. (2015). Flow Induced by Bacterial Carpets and Transport of Microscale Loads. In: Jackson, T., Radunskaya, A. (eds) Applications of Dynamical Systems in Biology and Medicine. The IMA Volumes in Mathematics and its Applications, vol 158. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2782-1_2
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