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arXiv · 1805.08348

A three-sphere microswimmer in a structured fluid

Kento Yasuda·Ryuichi Okamoto·Shigeyuki Komura
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Abstract

We discuss the locomotion of a three-sphere microswimmer in a viscoelastic structured fluid characterized by typical length and time scales. We derive a general expression to link the average swimming velocity to the sphere mobilities. In this relationship, a viscous contribution exists when the time-reversal symmetry is broken, whereas an elastic contribution is present when the structural symmetry of the microswimmer is broken. As an example of a structured fluid, we consider a polymer gel, which is described by a "two-fluid" model. We demonstrate in detail that the competition between the swimmer size and the polymer mesh size gives rise to the rich dynamics of a three-sphere microswimmer.

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Kento Yasuda, Ryuichi Okamoto, Shigeyuki Komura. 2018-05-22. A three-sphere microswimmer in a structured fluid. https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075/123/34002

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