Model for Self-Propulsive Helical Filaments: Kink-Pair Propagation

Hirofumi Wada and Roland R. Netz
Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 108102 – Published 7 September 2007
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Abstract

Spiroplasma bacteria propel through viscous fluids by sending kinks or domain walls between regions of opposite handedness down their helical body. A simple elastic model for the domain-wall propagation is formulated and studied using hydrodynamic simulations and scaling arguments, giving good agreement with recent video-microscopy observations. It is shown that the observed helical bacterial pitch angle ψ35° is optimized for maximal speed and efficiency.

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  • Received 24 March 2007

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.108102

©2007 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Hirofumi Wada and Roland R. Netz

  • Physics Department, Technical University Munich, 85748 Garching, Germany

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Issue

Vol. 99, Iss. 10 — 7 September 2007

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