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12 - Hydrodynamic Synchronisation

from Part Three - INTERACTIONS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 September 2020

Eric Lauga
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Summary

It has long been observed that an ensemble of flagella or cilia can synchronise their periodic beating. A long-standing hypothesis is that hydrodynamic interactions may provide a systematic route towards synchronisation. In this twelfth chapter we focus on the role played by fluid mechanics and highlight how interactions through the viscous fluid may lead to synchronised beating consistent with experiments. We start by the case where flagella, or cilia, are anchored on a surface or on an organism. We use a minimal model of spheres undergoing cyclic motion above a surface and interacting hydrodynamically in the far field. We show that in-phase synchronisation can be achieved if the spheres move along compliant paths or if the forcing responsible for their motion is phase-dependent, capturing experimental observations. We then address the synchronisation of free-swimming cells such as spermatozoa. Using a two-dimensional model we show the additional degree of freedom may lead to passive synchronisation in a manner that depends only on the geometry, but might not minimise energy dissipation. In contrast, active synchronisation always leads to in-phase swimming, as observed in experiments.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Hydrodynamic Synchronisation
  • Eric Lauga, University of Cambridge
  • Book: The Fluid Dynamics of Cell Motility
  • Online publication: 09 September 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316796047.016
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  • Hydrodynamic Synchronisation
  • Eric Lauga, University of Cambridge
  • Book: The Fluid Dynamics of Cell Motility
  • Online publication: 09 September 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316796047.016
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Hydrodynamic Synchronisation
  • Eric Lauga, University of Cambridge
  • Book: The Fluid Dynamics of Cell Motility
  • Online publication: 09 September 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316796047.016
Available formats
×