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arXiv · 1411.5492

The passive diffusion of Leptospira interrogans

Lyndon Koens·Eric Lauga
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Abstract

Motivated by recent experimental measurements, the passive diffusion of the bacterium \textit{Leptospira interrogans} is investigated theoretically. By approximating the cell shape as a straight helix and using the slender-body-theory approximation of Stokesian hydrodynamics, the resistance matrix of \textit{Leptospira} is first determined numerically. The passive diffusion of the helical cell is then obtained computationally using a Langevin formulation which is sampled in time in a manner consistent with the experimental procedure. Our results are in excellent quantitative agreement with the experimental results with no adjustable parameters.

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Lyndon Koens, Eric Lauga. 2014-11-20. The passive diffusion of Leptospira interrogans. https://doi.org/10.1088/1478-3975%2F11%2F6%2F066008

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