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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Synchronized rotation in swarms of magnetotactic bacteria.
Andrejs CēbersM. BelovsR. Livanovičssubject
PhysicsPeriodicityMagnetotactic bacteriaRotationMovementSwarming (honey bee)Swarm behaviourRotationBacterial Physiological Phenomena01 natural sciencesModels BiologicalQuantitative Biology::Cell Behavior010305 fluids & plasmasMagnetic fieldMagnetic Fields0103 physical sciencesArtificial systemsHydrodynamicsHexagonal latticeComputer SimulationTemporal organization010306 general physicsBiological systemdescription
Self-organizing behavior has been widely reported in both natural and artificial systems, typically distinguishing between temporal organization (synchronization) and spatial organization (swarming). Swarming has been experimentally observed in systems of magnetotactic bacteria under the action of external magnetic fields. Here we present a model of ensembles of magnetotactic bacteria in which hydrodynamic interactions lead to temporal synchronization in addition to the swarming. After a period of stabilization during which the bacteria form a quasiregular hexagonal lattice structure, the entire swarm begins to rotate in a direction opposite to the direction of the rotation of the magnetic field. We thus illustrate an emergent mechanism of macroscopic motion arising from the synchronized microscopic rotations of hydrodynamically interacting bacteria, reminiscent of the recently proposed concept of swarmalators.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-04-04 | Physical review. E |