Hydrodynamic Synchronisation of Chiral Microswimmers

Abstract

We study synchronization in bulk suspensions of spherical microswimmers with chiral trajectories using large scale numerics. The model is generic. It corresponds to the lowest order solution of a general model for self-propulsion at low Reynolds numbers, consisting of a nonaxisymmetric rotating source dipole. We show that both purely circular and helical swimmers can spontaneously synchronize their rotation. The synchronized state corresponds to velocity alignment with high orientational order in both the polar and azimuthal directions. Finally, we consider a racemic mixture of helical swimmers where intraspecies synchronization is observed while the system remains as a spatially uniform fluid. Our results demonstrate hydrodynamic synchronization as a natural collective phenomenon for microswimmers with chiral trajectories.

7 + 8 pages, 6 + 6 figures

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• Self-organised structures in mixed active-passive suspensions due to hydrodynamic interactions
• Viscotaxis of chiral microswimmer in viscosity gradients