Bacterial fluid dynamics

Bacteria self-propel in fluids using a complex apparatus called flagella. In each flagellum, a specialised motor rotates a helical filament located outside the cell; the rotation of each motor is transmitted to a short flexible segment called the hook which in turn transmits it to a flagellar filament, enabling viscous propulsion and swimming of the whole cell. In this talk I will highlight recent work from my group on the locomotion of bacteria where flows and hydrodynamic interactions lead to self-organisation and instabilities. I will first summarise an investigation on the collective dynamics of confined bacteria that are biased to swim in a preferred direction. I will next show how the the swimming of cells with multiple flagella is enabled by an elastohydrodynamic instability. I will finally explain how wall-cell hydrodynamic interaction can lead to a transition to a wall-bound state for the swimming bacteria.

Live Zoom Event: <https://caltech.zoom.us/j/84852988290>

Box Recordings for Caltech: <https://caltech.box.com/s/yscs22k3xqk05s9moxzay7sd8enw5qq4>