Dresden 2020 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 20: Poster VIII
BP 20.22: Poster
Tuesday, March 17, 2020, 14:00–16:00, P2/4OG
Divergence-free smoothing for 3D direct traction force microscopy — •Johannes Blumberg1,2 and Ulrich Schwarz1,2 — 1Institute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg University — 2BioQuant, Heidelberg University
In traction force microscopy (TFM), the mechanical forces of cells adhering to an elastic substrate are estimated from the substrate displacements as measured by the movement of fiducial markers. Usually this estimate is obtained by minimizing the mean squared distance between experimentally observed and predicted displacements (inverse TFM). In direct TFM, in contrast, the stress tensor and the surface tractions are calculated directly and locally from the deformation field using the underlying material law. This procedure makes it easier to estimate not only tangential, but also normal forces, and to deal with non-planar substrates. However, it is not clear how accurate direct TFM performs compared with inverse TFM. We develop a new method to estimating the local inaccuracy, based on the divergence-freeness of the stress tensor in an equilibrium setup. This improves the usability of this method and possibly allows traction force microscopy to be used in a wider range of settings.