Steering chiral swimmers along noisy helical paths.
Chemotaxis along helical paths towards a target releasing a chemoattractant is found in sperm cells and many microorganisms. We discuss the stochastic differential geometry of the noisy helical swimming path of a chiral swimmer. A chiral swimmer equipped with a simple feedback system can navigate in a concentration gradient of chemoattractant. We derive an effective equation for the alignment of helical paths with a concentration gradient which is related to the alignment of a dipole in an external field and discuss the chemotaxis index.
Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, 01187 Dresden, Germany.
Benjamin M
BM
Friedrich
Frank
F
Jülicher
D000818:Animals; D002630:Chemotactic Factors; D002633:Chemotaxis / Q000502:physiology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology; D013269:Stochastic Processes
D002630:Chemotactic Factors