Collective dynamics of model microorganisms with chemotactic signaling
Taktikos J, Zaburdaev V, Stark H (2012)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2012
Journal
Book Volume: 85
Article Number: 051901
Journal Issue: 5
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.85.051901
Abstract
Various microorganisms use chemotaxis for signaling among individuals-a common strategy for communication that is responsible for the formation of microcolonies. We model the microorganisms as autochemotactic active random walkers and describe them by an appropriate Langevin dynamics. It consists of rotational diffusion of the walker's velocity direction and a deterministic torque that aligns the velocity direction along the gradient of a self-generated chemical field. To account for finite size, each microorganism is treated as a soft disk. Its velocity is modified when it overlaps with other walkers according to a linear force-velocity relation and a harmonic repulsion force. We analyze two-walker collisions by presenting typical trajectories and by determining a state diagram that distinguishes between free walker, metastable, and bounded cluster states. We mention an analogy to Kramer's escape problem. Finally, we investigate relevant properties of many-walker systems and describe characteristics of cluster formation in unbounded geometry and in confinement. © 2012 American Physical Society.
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Germany (DE)How to cite
APA:
Taktikos, J., Zaburdaev, V., & Stark, H. (2012). Collective dynamics of model microorganisms with chemotactic signaling. Physical Review E - Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics, 85(5). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.85.051901
MLA:
Taktikos, Johannes, Vasily Zaburdaev, and Holger Stark. "Collective dynamics of model microorganisms with chemotactic signaling." Physical Review E - Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics 85.5 (2012).
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