Dresden 2020 – scientific programme

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DY: Fachverband Dynamik und Statistische Physik

DY 14: Microswimmers (joint session DY/CPP)

DY 14.3: Talk

Monday, March 16, 2020, 15:45–16:00, ZEU 160

Active dynamics of microalgae in an anisotropic porous environment — •Florian von Rüling and Alexey Eremin — Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg

Understanding the motion of active colloids in porous media is essential for fundamental physics and a wide range of biological and medical applications. Cell growth and motion is often restricted by complex environments such as the cytoskeleton. Here, we report experimental studies on the motion of the unicellular microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii through a flexible anisotropic lattice of chains formed by magnetic particles. In a thin cell or capillary, the microalgae interact with chain-like aggregates that form in a magnetic field. Shape-anisotropic structures guide the swimmers or initiate tumbling. They affect the persistence time of the microswimmer's motion. As the chains of magnetic particles disintegrate quickly after turning off the magnetic field, the system transforms into an unperturbed state. We investigate the effect of the chains on the orientational velocity correlations in the active dynamics of the algae.