Three-dimensional model for the effective viscosity of bacterial suspensions

Brian M. Haines, Andrey Sokolov, Igor S. Aranson, Leonid Berlyand, and Dmitry A. Karpeev

Phys. Rev. E 80, 041922 – Published 22 October 2009

Abstract

We derive the effective viscosity of dilute suspensions of swimming bacteria from the microscopic details of the interaction of an elongated body with the background flow. An individual bacterium propels itself forward by rotating its flagella and reorients itself randomly by tumbling. Due to the bacterium’s asymmetric shape, interactions with a prescribed generic (such as planar shear or straining) background flow cause the bacteria to preferentially align in directions in which self-propulsion produces a significant reduction in the effective viscosity, in agreement with recent experiments on suspensions of Bacillus subtilis.

Received 13 May 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.80.041922

Authors & Affiliations

Brian M. Haines¹, Andrey Sokolov^2,3, Igor S. Aranson³, Leonid Berlyand¹, and Dmitry A. Karpeev⁴

¹Department of Mathematics, Penn State University, McAllister Bldg, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
²Illinois Institute of Technology, 3101 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois 60616, USA
³Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA
⁴Mathematics and Computer Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

Supplemental Material (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

Issue

Vol. 80, Iss. 4 — October 2009

Reuse & Permissions

Access Options

Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Physical Review E

covering statistical, nonlinear, biological, and soft matter physics