Enhanced motility of a microswimmer in rigid and elastic confinement.

We analyze the effect of confining rigid and elastic boundaries on the motility of a model dipolar microswimmer. Flexible boundaries are deformed by the velocity field of the swimmer in such a way that the motility of both extensile and contractile swimmers is enhanced. The magnitude of the increase...

תיאור מלא

מידע ביבליוגרפי
Main Authors: Ledesma-Aguilar, R, Yeomans, J
פורמט: Journal article
שפה:English
יצא לאור: 2013
תיאור
סיכום:We analyze the effect of confining rigid and elastic boundaries on the motility of a model dipolar microswimmer. Flexible boundaries are deformed by the velocity field of the swimmer in such a way that the motility of both extensile and contractile swimmers is enhanced. The magnitude of the increase in swimming velocity is controlled by the ratio of the swimmer-advection and elastic time scales, and the dipole moment of the swimmer. We explain our results by considering swimming between inclined rigid boundaries.