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A circle swimmer at low Reynolds number

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Abstract

Swimming in circles occurs in a variety of situations at low Reynolds number. Here we propose a simple model for a swimmer that undergoes circular motion, generalising the model of a linear swimmer proposed by Najafi and Golestanian (Phys. Rev. E 69, 062901 (2004)). Our model consists of three solid spheres arranged in a triangular configuration, joined by two links of time-dependent length. For small strokes, we discuss the motion of the swimmer as a function of the separation angle between its links. We find that swimmers describe either clockwise or anticlockwise circular motion depending on the tilting angle in a non-trivial manner. The symmetry of the swimmer leads to a quadrupolar decay of the far flow field. We discuss the potential extensions and experimental realisation of our model.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford, 1 Keble Road, OX1 3NP, Oxford, UK

    R. Ledesma-Aguilar & J. M. Yeomans

  2. Institut für Theoretische Physik II: Weiche Materie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, D-40225, Düsseldorf, Germany

    H. Löwen

Authors
  1. R. Ledesma-Aguilar
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  2. H. Löwen
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  3. J. M. Yeomans
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Correspondence to R. Ledesma-Aguilar.

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Ledesma-Aguilar, R., Löwen, H. & Yeomans, J.M. A circle swimmer at low Reynolds number. Eur. Phys. J. E 35, 70 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2012-12070-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2012-12070-5

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