Date/Time
Date(s) - 03/03/2021
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Title: Fluid dynamics of swimming bacteria

Motile bacteria self-propel in fluids using a complex apparatus called flagella. In each flagellum, a specialised motor rotates a helical filament located outside the cell in the following way: the rotation of each motor is transmitted to a short flexible segment called the hook which in turn transmits it to a helical filament, enabling viscous propulsion and swimming of the whole cell. In this talk I will highlight recent modelling work from my group where fluid mechanical forces exerted on swimming bacteria lead to instabilities. I will first explain how wall-cell hydrodynamic interaction can lead to a transition to a wall-bound state for swimming bacteria. I will next show how the the swimming of cells with multiple flagella is enabled by an elastohydrodynamic instability. I will finish with a brief highlight of some of our recent work on bacterial dynamics.

https://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/lauga/

Institution: University of Cambridge

Location: Zoom

Host: Dr. Cecile Fradin

Tina Stewart is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.