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Shape matters: a Brownian microswimmer in a channel
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 April 2021
Abstract
We consider the active Brownian particle model for a two-dimensional microswimmer with fixed speed, whose direction of swimming changes according to a Brownian process. The probability density for the swimmer obeys a Fokker–Planck equation defined on the configuration space, whose structure depends on the swimmer's shape, centre of rotation and domain of swimming. We enforce zero probability flux at the boundaries of configuration space. At first neglecting hydrodynamic interactions, we derive a reduced equation for a swimmer in an infinite channel, in the limit of small rotational diffusivity, and find that the invariant density depends strongly on the swimmer's precise shape and centre of rotation. We also give a formula for the mean reversal time: the expected time taken for a swimmer to completely reverse direction in the channel. Using homogenization theory, we find an expression for the effective longitudinal diffusivity of a swimmer in the channel, and show that it is bounded by the mean reversal time. Finally, we include hydrodynamic interactions with walls, and examine the role of shape.
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