Albane Théry

Dec 7, 2023 | biorxiv.org | Albane Théry |Eric Lauga |Alexander Chamolly

AbstractBiased locomotion is a common feature of microorganisms, but little is known about its impact on self-organisation. Inspired by recent experiments showing a transition to large-scale flows, we study theoretically the dynamics of magnetotactic bacteria confined to a drop. We reveal two symmetry-breaking mechanisms (one local chiral and one global achiral) leading to self-organisation into global vortices and a net torque exerted on the drop.