Hydrodynamic interaction between two swimmers at low Reynolds number.

Journal article

We investigate the hydrodynamic interactions between micro-organisms 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 passive term, independent of the motion of the second swimmer, and an active term resulting from the simultaneous swimming action of both swimmers. 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.

Authors: Pooley, C; Alexander, G; Yeomans, J

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Physical Review Letters
• Volume: 99
• Issue: 22
• Pages: 228103
• Publication date: 2007-11-01
• DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.99.228103
• EISSN: 1079-7114
• ISSN: 0031-9007
• Language: English
• Keywords: Movement; Models, Biological; Paramecium; Animals