Straight-to-Curvilinear Motion Transition of a Swimming Droplet Caused by the Susceptibility to Fluctuations
Saori Suda, Tomoharu Suda, Takuya Ohmura, Masatoshi Ichikawa
Abstract
In this Letter, a water-in-oil swimming droplet's transition from straight to curvilinear motion is investigated experimentally and theoretically. An analysis of the experimental results and the model reveal that the motion transition depends on the susceptibility of the droplet's direction of movement to external stimuli as a function of environmental parameters such as droplet size. The simplicity of the present experimental system and the model suggests implications for a general class of transitions in self-propelled swimmers.
Topics & Concepts
Curvilinear coordinatesBrownian motionPhysicsMotion (physics)Collective motionTransition (genetics)Brownian dynamicsMechanicsClassical mechanicsStatistical physicsFunction (biology)Surface (topology)GeometryChemistryQuantum mechanicsMathematicsEvolutionary biologyBiologyGeneBiochemistryMicro and Nano RoboticsParticle Dynamics in Fluid FlowsMolecular Communication and Nanonetworks