Controlling cell motion and microscale flow with polarized light fields

Abstract

We investigate how light polarization affects the motion of photo-responsive algae, \textit{Euglena gracilis}. In a uniformly polarized field, cells swim approximately perpendicular to the polarization direction and form a nematic state with zero mean velocity. When light polarization varies spatially, cell motion is modulated by local polarization. In such light fields, cells exhibit complex spatial distribution and motion patterns which are controlled by topological properties of the underlying fields; we further show that ordered cell swimming can generate directed transporting fluid flow. Experimental results are quantitatively reproduced by an active Brownian particle model in which particle motion direction is nematically coupled to local light polarization.

arXiv comment5 figures, published in PRL

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• Sorting of binary active-passive mixtures in designed microchannels
• Pattern Formation and Flocking for Particles Near the Jamming Transition on Resource Gradient Substrates
• Effect of the background flow on the motility induced phase separation
• Superdiffusion and antidiffusion in an aligned active suspension