Microswimmers – From Single Particle Motion to Collective Behavior

Locomotion of autonomous microswimmers is a fascinating field at the cutting edge of science. It combines the biophysics of self-propulsion via motor proteins, artificial propulsion mechanisms, swimming strategies at low Reynolds numbers, the hydrodynamic interaction of swimmers, and the collective motion and synchronisation of large numbers of agents. The articles of this Special Issue are based on the lecture notes of an international summer school, which was organized by the DFG Priority Programme 1726 “Microswimmers – From Single Particle Motion to Collective Behaviour” in the fall of 2015. The minireviews provide a broad overview of the field, covering both elementary and advanced material, as well as selected areas from current research.     

Lidar calibration experiments

A series of atmospheric aerosol diffusion experiments combined with lidar detection was conducted to evaluate and calibrate an existing retrieval algorithm for aerosol backscatter lidar systems. The calibration experiments made use of two (almost) identical mini-lidar systems for aerosol cloud detection to test the reproducibility and uncertainty of lidars. Lidar data were obtained from both single-ended and double-ended lidar configurations. A backstop was introduced in one of the experiments and a new method was developed where information obtained from the backstop can be used in the inversion algorithm. Independent in-situ aerosol plume concentrations were obtained from a simultaneous tracer gas experiment with SF, and comparisons with the two lidars were made. The study shows that the reproducibility of the lidars is within 15%, including measurements from both sides of a plume. The correspondence with in-situ measurements is excellent. Finally, the new backstop method is able to reveal information which can close the lidar equation by obtaining the relation between backscatter and extinction in an aerosol cloud. Received: 21 December 1995 / Revised version: 25 July 1996     

Microstructure of thermoelectric (Bi0.15Sb0.85)2Te3 film

The film of thermoelectric ternary p-type (Bi_0.15Sb_0.85)₂Te₃ was deposited on polyimide foil substrate at 168 °C using direct-current magnetron sputtering. Microstructural investigations of the film were performed by electron microscopy techniques. SEM observations showed that the film surface consisted of large-sized particulates with small-sized particles and also mound-like crystal agglomerates in some areas. Chemical composition of the film was analyzed using energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). It has been observed that the EDS results were in an agreement with nominal composition for the film. Detailed microstructural investigations were carried out using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM images and selected area electron diffraction patterns showed that the film has randomly oriented polycrystalline grain structure. High-resolution TEM images indicated that the microstructure of film also contained nano-crystal structure, smaller than 10 nm.     

Versatile vacuum chamber for in situ surface X‐ray scattering studies

A compact portable vacuum‐compatible chamber designed for surface X‐ray scattering measurements on beamline ID01 of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, is described. The chamber is versatile and can be used for in situ investigation of various systems, such as surfaces, nanostructures, thin films etc., using a variety of X‐ray‐based techniques such as reflectivity, grazing‐incidence small‐angle scattering and diffraction. It has been conceived for the study of morphology and structure of semiconductor surfaces during ion beam erosion, but it is also used for the study of surface oxidation or thin film growth under ultra‐high‐vacuum conditions. Coherent X‐ray beam experiments are also possible. The chamber is described in detail, and examples of its use are given.     

Oxygen as a site specific probe of the structure of water and oxide materials

The method of oxygen isotope substitution in neutron diffraction is introduced as a site specific structural probe. It is employed to measure the structure of light versus heavy water, thus circumventing the assumption of isomorphism between H and D as used in more traditional neutron diffraction methods. The intramolecular and intermolecular O-H and O-D pair correlations are in excellent agreement with path integral molecular dynamics simulations, both techniques showing a difference of ?0.5% between the O-H and O-D intramolecular bond distances. The results support the validity of a competing quantum effects model for water in which its structural and dynamical properties are governed by an offset between intramolecular and intermolecular quantum contributions.     

CMOS detector arrays in a virtual 10-kilopixel camera for coherent terahertz real-time imaging

We demonstrate the principle applicability of antenna-coupled complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) field-effect transistor arrays as cameras for real-time coherent imaging at 591.4 GHz. By scanning a few detectors across the image plane, we synthesize a focal-plane array of 100×100 pixels with an active area of 20×20 mm2, which is applied to imaging in transmission and reflection geometries. Individual detector pixels exhibit a voltage conversion loss of 24 dB and a noise figure of 41 dB for 16 μW of the local oscillator (LO) drive. For object illumination, we use a radio-frequency (RF) source with 432 μW at 590 GHz. Coherent detection is realized by quasioptical superposition of the image and the LO beam with 247 μW. At an effective frame rate of 17 Hz, we achieve a maximum dynamic range of 30 dB in the center of the image and more than 20 dB within a disk of 18 mm diameter. The system has been used for surface reconstruction resolving a height difference in the μm range.     

Kinetic interface roughening and magneto resistance of sputter-deposited Fe/Ni75B25 multilayers

The roughening of interfaces as a function of layer thickness and magneto transport properties have been investigated on sputter-deposited Fe/Ni₇₅B₂₅ multilayer films. X-ray reflectivity data were recorded for Ni₇₅B₂₅(72 nm) film and for [Fe(2 nm)/Ni₇₅B₂₅(2 nm)]₁₆ and [Fe(4 nm)/Ni₇₅B₂₅(4 nm)]₈ multilayer films. A power law dependence of the interfacial width of growing Fe/Ni₇₅B₂₅ interfaces was observed. The resulting growth exponents β were found to be in the range of 0.55–0.58 in the initial growth stage of the multilayer with lower Fe/Ni₇₅B₂₅ repetition thickness and at approximately 0.34 for multilayer with higher repetition thickness. The growth exponents were compared with theoretical calculations. High resolution electron microscopy revealed the columnar growth of the Fe/Ni₇₅B₂₅ multilayer. Additionally, an increase of magnetoresistance was observed by the multilayering of Ni₇₅B₂₅ films with Fe interlayers.     

Bifurcation behaviour and limit cycles of a compliant seal-rotor system

This contribution discusses the non-linear dynamic behaviour of a rotor system equipped with a compliant seal. The investigated model consists of a Laval-Rotor and a stiff seal ring which is visco-elastically supported. The fluid forces stemming from the turbulent incompressible lubricant film are accounted for by the non-linear Muszynska model. The added compliance leads to an improved stability behaviour of the steady state. Within the post-critical regime the additional compliance gives rise to bifurcations of the stationary vibration: Hopf bifurcations lead to limit cycles which can loose their stability via Neimark-Sacker bifurcations. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)