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Dancing Volvox: Hydrodynamic Bound States of Swimming Algae

Knut Drescher, Kyriacos C. Leptos, Idan Tuval, Takuji Ishikawa, Timothy J. Pedley, and Raymond E. Goldstein
Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 168101 – Published 20 April 2009

Abstract

The spherical alga Volvox swims by means of flagella on thousands of surface somatic cells. This geometry and its large size make it a model organism for studying the fluid dynamics of multicellularity. Remarkably, when two nearby Volvox colonies swim close to a solid surface, they attract one another and can form stable bound states in which they “waltz” or “minuet” around each other. A surface-mediated hydrodynamic attraction combined with lubrication forces between spinning, bottom-heavy Volvox explains the formation, stability, and dynamics of the bound states. These phenomena are suggested to underlie observed clustering of Volvox at surfaces.

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  • Received 14 January 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.168101

©2009 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Knut Drescher1, Kyriacos C. Leptos1, Idan Tuval1, Takuji Ishikawa2, Timothy J. Pedley1, and Raymond E. Goldstein1

  • 1Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0WA, United Kingdom
  • 2Department of Bioengineering and Robotics, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579, Japan

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Issue

Vol. 102, Iss. 16 — 24 April 2009

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