Minimal polar swimmer at low Reynolds number

We propose a minimal model for a polar swimmer, consisting of two spheres connected by a rigid slender arm, at low Reynolds number. The propulsive velocity for the proposed model is the maximum for any swimming cycle with the same variations in its two degrees of freedom and its displacement in a cycle is achieved entirely in one step. The stroke averaged flow field generated by the contractile swimmer at large distances is found to be dipolar. In addition, the changing radius of one of the spheres generates the field of a potential doublet centered at its initial position.     

How walls affect the dynamics of self-phoretic microswimmers

We study the effect of a nearby planar wall on the propulsion of a spherical phoretic micro-swimmer driven by reactions on its surface. An asymmetric coverage of catalysts on its surface which absorb reactants and generate products gives rise to an anisotropic interfacial flow that propels the swimmer. We analyse the near-wall dynamics of such a self-phoretic swimmer as a function of the asymmetric catalytic coverage of the surface. By an analysis of the fundamental singularities of the flow and concentration or electrostatic potential gradients generated we are able to obtain and rationalise a phase diagram of behaviours as a function of the characteristics of the swimmer surface. We find a variety of possible behaviours, from “bound states” where the swimmer remains near the wall to “scattering” or repulsive trajectories in which the swimmer ends far from the wall. The formation of some of the bound states is a purely wall-phoretic effect and cannot be obtained by simply mapping a phoretic swimmer to a hydrodynamic one.     

Optimal stroke patterns for Purcell's three-link swimmer

Stroke patterns for Purcell's three-link swimmer are optimized. We model the swimmer as a jointed chain of three slender rods moving in an inertialess flow. The swimmer is optimized for efficiency and speed. We were able to attain swimmer designs significantly more efficient than those previously suggested by authors who only consider geometric design rather than kinematic criteria. The influence of slenderness on optimality is considered as well.     

A circle swimmer at low Reynolds number

Swimming in circles occurs in a variety of situations at low Reynolds number. Here we propose a simple model for a swimmer that undergoes circular motion, generalising the model of a linear swimmer proposed by Najafi and Golestanian (Phys. Rev. E 69, 062901 (2004)). Our model consists of three solid spheres arranged in a triangular configuration, joined by two links of time-dependent length. For small strokes, we discuss the motion of the swimmer as a function of the separation angle between its links. We find that swimmers describe either clockwise or anticlockwise circular motion depending on the tilting angle in a non-trivial manner. The symmetry of the swimmer leads to a quadrupolar decay of the far flow field. We discuss the potential extensions and experimental realisation of our model.     

Hydrodynamic interaction between two swimmers at low Reynolds number

We investigate the hydrodynamic interactions between micro-organisms swimming at low Reynolds number. By considering simple model swimmers, and combining analytic and numerical approaches, we investigate the time-averaged flow field around a swimmer. At short distances the swimmer behaves like a pump. At large distances the velocity field depends on whether the swimming stroke is invariant under a combined time-reversal and parity transformation. We then consider two swimmers and find that the interaction between them consists of two parts: a passive term, independent of the motion of the second swimmer, and an active term resulting from the simultaneous swimming action of both swimmers. The swimmer-swimmer interaction is a complicated function of their relative displacement, orientation, and phase, leading to motion that can be attractive, repulsive, or oscillatory.     

Purcell’s “rotator”: mechanical rotation at low Reynolds number

An object consisting of three spheres, linked like the spokes on a wheel, can undergo a net rotational movement when the relative positions of the spheres proceed through a four-step cycle. This rotational motion is the analogue of the two-hinged swimmer originally proposed by Purcell (1977), which has served as a prototype for mechanical implementations of swimming. We also note that the rotational motion analysed here may be useful in the design of micromachines and has similarities to molecular-scale rotational motors that have been identified recently.     

Optimized swimmer tracking system based on a novel multi-related-targets approach

Robust tracking is a crucial step in automatic swimmer evaluation from video sequences. We designed a robust swimmer tracking system using a new multi-related-targets approach. The main idea is to consider the swimmer as a bloc of connected subtargets that advance at the same speed. If one of the subtargets is partially or totally occluded, it can be localized by knowing the position of the others. In this paper, we first introduce the two-dimensional direct linear transformation technique that we used to calibrate the videos. Then, we present the classical tracking approach based on dynamic fusion. Next, we highlight the main contribution of our work, which is the multi-related-targets tracking approach. This approach, the classical head-only approach and the ground truth are then compared, through testing on a database of high-level swimmers in training, national and international competitions (French National Championships, Limoges 2015, and World Championships, Kazan 2015). Tracking percentage and the accuracy of the instantaneous speed are evaluated and the findings show that our new appraoach is significantly more accurate than the classical approach.     

Ferromagnetic microswimmers

We propose a model for a novel artificial low Reynolds number swimmer, based on the magnetic interactions of a pair of ferromagnetic particles: one with hard and the other with soft magnetic properties, connected by a linear spring. Using a computational model, we analyze the behavior of the system and demonstrate that for realistic values of the parameters involved, the swimmer is capable of self-propelling with average speeds of the order of hundreds of micrometers per second.     

Speedup of self-propelled helical swimmers in a long cylindrical pipe

Pipe-like confinements are ubiquitously encountered by microswimmers.Here we systematically study the ratio of the speeds of a force-and torque-free microswimmer swimming in the center of a cylindrical pipe to its speed in an unbounded fluid(speed ratio).Inspired by E.coli,the model swimmer consists of a cylindrical head and a double-helical tail connected to the head by a rotating virtual motor.The numerical simulation shows that depending on swimmer geometry,confinements can enhance or hinder the swimming speed,which is verified by Reynolds number matched experiments.We further developed a reduced model.The model shows that the swimmer with a moderately long,slender head and a moderately long tail experiences the greatest speed enhancement,whereas the theoretical speed ratio has no upper limit.The properties of the virtual motor also affect the speed ratio,namely,the constant-frequency motor generates a greater speed ratio compared to the constant-torque motor.     

Microswimmers near surfaces

Both, in their natural environment and in a controlled experimental setup, microswimmers regularly interact with surfaces. These surfaces provide a steric boundary, both for the swimming motion and the hydrodynamic flow pattern. These effects typically imply a strong accumulation of microswimmers near surfaces. While some generic features can be derived, details of the swimmer shape and propulsion mechanism matter, which give rise to a broad range of adhesion phenomena and have to be taken into account to predict the surface accumulation for a given swimmer. We show in this minireview how numerical simulations and analytic theory can be used to predict the accumulation statistics for different systems, with an emphasis on swimmer shape, hydrodynamics interactions, and type of noisy dynamics.     

Effective swimming strategies in low Reynolds number flows

The optimal strategy for a microscopic swimmer to migrate across a linear shear flow is discussed. The two cases, in which the swimmer is located at large distance, and in the proximity of a solid wall, are taken into account. It is shown that migration can be achieved by means of a combination of sailing through the flow and swimming, where the swimming strokes are induced by the external flow without need of internal energy sources or external drives. The structural dynamics required for the swimmer to move in the desired direction is discussed and two simple models, based respectively on the presence of an elastic structure, and on an orientation dependent friction, to control the deformations induced by the external flow, are analyzed. In all cases, the deformation sequence is a generalization of the tank-treading motion regimes observed in vesicles in shear flows. Analytic expressions for the migration velocity as a function of the deformation pattern and amplitude are provided. The effects of thermal fluctuations on propulsion have been discussed and the possibility that noise be exploited to overcome the limitations imposed on the microswimmer by the scallop theorem have been discussed.     

Brownian dynamics of a microswimmer

We report on dynamic properties of a simple model microswimmer composed of three spheres and propelling itself in a viscous fluid by spinning motion of the spheres under zero net torque constraint. At a fixed temperature and increasing the spinning frequency, the swimmer demonstrates a transition from dissipation-dominated to a pumping-dominated motion regime characterized by negative effective friction coefficient. In the limit of high frequencies, the diffusion of the swimmer can be described by a model of an active particle with constant velocity.     

Optimal swimming at low Reynolds numbers

Efficient swimming at low Reynolds numbers is a major concern of microbots. To compare the efficiencies of different swimmers we introduce the notion of "a swimming drag coefficient" which allows for the ranking of swimmers. We find the optimal swimmer within a certain class of two-dimensional swimmers using conformal mapping techniques.     

Motion and mixing for multiple ferromagnetic microswimmers

This paper concerns the interaction of several ferromagnetic microswimmers, their motion and the resulting fluid mixing. Each swimmer consists of two ferromagnetic beads joined by an elastic link, and is driven by an external, time-dependent magnetic field. The external field provides a torque on a swimmer and, together with the varying attraction between the magnetic beads, generates a time-irreversible motion leading to persistent swimming in a low Reynolds number environment. The aim of the present paper is to consider the interactions between several swimmers. A regime is considered in which identical swimmers move in the same overall direction, and their motion is synchronised because of driving by the external field. It is found that two swimmers tend to encircle one another while three undergo more complicated motion that may involve the braiding of swimmer trajectories. By means of approximations it is established that the interaction between pairs of swimmers gives circulatory motion which falls off with an inverse square law and is linked to their overall speed of motion through the fluid. As groups of two or more swimmers move through the fluid they process fluid, leaving behind a trail of fluid that has undergone mixing: this is investigated by following streak lines numerically.     

Self-motile colloidal particles: from directed propulsion to random walk

The motion of an artificial microscale swimmer that uses a chemical reaction catalyzed on its own surface to achieve autonomous propulsion is fully characterized experimentally. It is shown that at short times it has a substantial component of directed motion, with a velocity that depends on the concentration of fuel molecules. At longer times, the motion reverts to a random walk with a substantially enhanced diffusion coefficient. Our results suggest strategies for designing artificial chemotactic systems.     

超导纳米线单光子探测器动态电感研究

单光子探测是一种量子极限光信号的检测技术,超导纳米线单光子探测器(Superconducting NanowireSingle-Photon Detector,SNSPD)作为一种新型的单光子探测技术,在量子通信等众多领域有着广阔的应用前景。SNSPD的动态电感直接决定了SNSPD的工作速度。文中对SNSPD动态电感的特性和测试方法做了详细的研究,成功实现了低温下SNSPD动态电感的测试,并对结果进行了分析处理和研究。利用BCS理论对动态电感随温度、偏置电流变化的特性进行分析计算,并与实际测量结果对比讨论,为未来如何降低SNSPD动态电感、提高其性能的研究工作提供了参考依据。     

An experimental and kinetic modeling study of a four-component surrogate fuel for RP-3 kerosene

Detailed high-fidelity kinetic models of fuels are of great significance by providing guidance for the improvement of the combustion performance in engines and promising the reduction of design cycle of new concept combustors. However, the kinetic modeling works on Chinese RP-3 kerosene, the most widely used civil aviation fuel in China, are meager to date. In this study, a kinetic model, including a surrogate fuel and its combustion kinetic mechanism, were developed to describe the combustion of RP-3. Firstly, a surrogate comprised of components n-dodecane, 2,2,4,6,6-pentamethylheptane (PMH), n-butylcyclohexane and n-butylbenzene (22.82/31.30/19.19/26.69 mol%) was proposed based on the combustion property target matching method. These components are all within the typical molecular size (C10-C14) of jet fuels and thereby can potentially improve the ability of the surrogate in emulating the properties that depend on molecular size. Experiments were then carried out in a heated rapid compression machine and a heated shock tube to evaluate the performance of the surrogate in reproducing the combustion behavior of the target fuel over wide conditions. It is found that the surrogate can reproduce the autoignition characteristics of RP-3 very well. A chemical kinetic mechanism was developed to describe the oxidation of this surrogate. This mechanism was assembled using a published n-butylbenzene sub-mechanism and our previous sub-mechanisms for the other pure components, and was assessed against the present experimental data. The results showed that the simulations agreed well with the experimental data under the investigated conditions, demonstrating that the composition of the surrogate and its mechanism are appropriate to describe the combustion of RP-3. The first-stage ignition negative temperature coefficient behavior and the evolution of key radicals were investigated using the kinetic model.     

Swimmers in thin films: from swarming to hydrodynamic instabilities

We investigate theoretically the collective dynamics of a suspension of low Reynolds number swimmers that are confined to two dimensions by a thin fluid film. Our model swimmer is characterized by internal degrees of freedom which locally exert active stresses on the fluid. We find that hydrodynamic interactions mediated by the film can give rise to spontaneous continuous symmetry breaking (swarming), to states with either polar or nematic homogeneous order. For dipolar swimmers, the stroke averaged dynamics are enough to determine the leading contributions to the collective behavior. In contrast, for quadrupolar swimmers, details of the internal dynamics are important in determining the bulk behavior. In the broken symmetry phases, fluctuations of hydrodynamic variables destabilize order. Interestingly, this instability is not generic and depends on the length scale.     

基于微燃机的HAT循环变工况性能分析

基于某微燃机构建了HAT循环,研究了其在功率下降(ISO条件)、环境温度变化时的变工况性能,并与简单循环、回热循环和RWI(注水回热)循环的设计工况、变工况性能进行了对比。结果表明, HNI、循环和RWI循环的变工况性能相似且好于简单循环和回热循环。其中,空气湿化程度的调整对于HAT循环变工况性能的稳定性起重要作用。但由于没有设置中冷器,且微燃机循环中可资利用的(火用)较少,HAT循环设计工况和变工况性能相对于其它循环的优势没有得到充分体现。